Former Woodland High School athlete killed during University of Virginia shooting

DORCHESTER, S.C. (WCBD) – One of three University of Virginia football players shot and killed Sunday night was a former athlete at Woodland High School.

Lavel Davis Jr., a wide receiver for UVA football, played for Woodland High School in Dorchester County.

Davis was one of three football players killed during a shooting near a University of Virginia parking garage Sunday night. Two other people were wounded.

The Associated Press reports the shooting took place on a bus as students returned from an off-campus trip.

The suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was taken into custody Monday morning following a manhunt.

Davis’s cousin, Sean Lampkin, who is the current Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for Newberry College in South Carolina, shared a post on social media about his passing. “Saddening, saddening news this morning. God took one of his most kind, humble, loving soldiers off of the battlefield last night,” he said.

Davis was a wide receiver for the University of Virginia and had been playing with the university since 2020. He was also one of 61 players and eight ACC student-athletes to appear on the 2020 Comeback Player of the Year watchlist.

During his time at Woodland High School, Davis earned all-state honors after making 40 catches for 622 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior. He also played on the high school’s basketball and track teams.

Woodland High School Head Coach Eddie Ford said Lavel was “someone you would want your son to be like.”