‘What is an established fact is that Jones had previously drawn the attention of law enforcement and university officials.
There was a gun conviction officials at the state’s elite flagship university only recently learned about as a result of a hazing probe, the details of which were unknown. There were also attempts to buy a rifle and a pistol that placed Jones under the scrutiny of Virginia State Police.
… University Police Chief Timothy Longo told reporters the university’s “threat assessment team” had learned about Jones in September after a third party, who was not a student, reported that he spoke about having a gun. He said the school’s student affairs office interviewed Jones’ roommate, who had not seen the suspect with a gun.
It wasn’t clear if the school’s internal investigation of Jones possibly having a gun ended with that roommate’s interview.
Jones had also been involved in the campus hazing probe, which was closed due to uncooperative witnesses, Longo said.
… [U]niversity officials admitted they learned Jones had been convicted of a misdemeanor for a concealed weapons violation in 2021.
… [O]fficials said they realized only after Sunday’s shooting that the report of his conviction was never relayed to the University Judiciary Committee.
… [Said one observer:] “It’s like a series of cracks that he slipped through.”’