Robert Kraft Lends Patriots Team Plane to UVA Football Players Traveling to Teammates' Funerals

Jason Duaine Hahn
·2 min read
The New England Patriots plane
The New England Patriots plane

Maddie Meyer/Getty

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is helping University of Virginia football players travel to the funerals of three of their teammates who were killed in a shooting earlier this month.

On Sunday, Nov. 13, former UVA football player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. allegedly shot and killed 22-year-old D'Sean Perry, a linebacker and defensive end; Devin Chandler, a junior wide receiver on the team; and Lavel Davis Jr., a junior wide receiver.

Jones Jr. shot the players after their bus returned to campus after traveling to D.C. to see a play, authorities said.

Perry and Chandler died at the scene, while Davis died in the hospital.

According to ESPN reporter Field Yates, the Patriots sent their team plane to Charlottesville "to help players get to the three funerals of their fallen teammates held in three different states."

PEOPLE reached out to the team for comment on Monday afternoon.

"Classy move by the organization," Yates wrote in a tweet on Sunday.

D'Sean Perry; Lavel Davis Jr.; Devin Chandler
D'Sean Perry; Lavel Davis Jr.; Devin Chandler

Virginia Sports (3) D'Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler

A Patriots spokesperson confirmed to NBC Sports that Kraft loaned the plane at no charge.

RELATED: Who Is Robert Kraft? Everything to Know About Patriots Owner

Per NBC Sports, Perry's funeral happened Saturday in Florida, while Chandler's funeral occurred in Virginia Beach.

Davis Jr.'s memorial is scheduled for Wednesday in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Jones Jr. faces three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony.

RELATED: U. Virginia Student Allegedly Killed 3 Members of Football Team When They Returned on Bus From School Trip

University of Virginia Police Chief Timothy Longo previously said that Jones had a prior incident involving a weapon in February 2021 but allegedly had not reported the incident to the university as required.

According to Charlottesville's Daily Progress, Jones is from Petersburg, Virginia, and had been on the UVA football roster in 2018, but did not play.

RELATED VIDEO: Adam Zimmer, Bengals Assistant Coach and Son of NFL Coach Mike Zimmer, Dead at 38

His next court date is scheduled for December, CBS News reports.

GoFundMe accounts have been set up for the victims' families to help defray funeral costs.

The fundraiser for Lavel Davis Jr. can be found here.

The fundraiser for Devin Chandler can be found here.

The fundraiser for D'Sean Perry can be found here.

GoFundMe has verified each fundraiser to PEOPLE.

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