University of Virginia shooting still hurts in Miami-Dade: D’Sean Perry’s legacy lives on, grieving mother says

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – D’Sean Perry defied all expectations while growing up in Miami-Dade County. He played football and basketball in high school. After graduating from Gulliver Prep, he went on to become a linebacker and a defensive end for the University of Virginia’s Cavaliers football team.

Perry was a studio art major who liked anime and classical music and was set to graduate in January. His bright future ended after a 22-year-old gunman killed him and two of his teammates, after they returned to campus from a field trip to Washington, D.C.

There was a vigil in their memory on campus in Charlottesville. His parents, Sean and Happy Perry, marked the painful anniversary remembering how Perry had plans to continue his education in graduate school while playing college football.

“It is a day of remembrance to understand and to know that they were loved and are loved and will be loved and their legacy will live on in Charlottesville,” Perry’s mother said adding, “We all need a push, and we are all hurting.”

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a former Virginia football player, was awaiting trial in Albemarle County for the three murders and the two attempted murders. Records show his next court appearance is in February.

Last month, Attorney General of Virginia Jason Miyares announced a review of the case had been completed and sent to the university. Perry’s parents had yet to see it on Monday since it had not been made public yet.

Perry’s family and friends plan to attend a candlelight vigil organized by Mothers Fighting for Justice, a nonprofit organization that advocates for victims, in partnership with the Miami-Dade Police Department.