CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — One of the surviving University of Virginia students seriously wounded in a shooting on Sunday has undergone a second surgery.
Michael Hollins, a University Laboratory School grad student and football player went back into surgery Tuesday morning and his family says he is doing “great” according to WBRZ.
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., 22, had been arrested on Monday as the suspect in the shooting.
The Sunday night shooting happened on a bus full of students as they were returning from a field trip University of Virginia President James Ryan said.
The shooting left three university football players dead. Two others were injured, including Hollins.
Family members of Hollins say he is in stable condition after surgery Monday. Another surgery is planned for Tuesday. His mother flew to Charlottesville Monday morning.
“He’s in good spirits. He’s got a lot of people that care about him,” friend and former teammate Michael “Gideon” Cuellar said.
Cuellar played football with Hollins at University High in Baton Rouge. He says they grew up in sports together and still can’t believe what happened.
“One of my best friends, didn't know if he was going to make it or not. It was heart-wrenching. I woke up at 3:30 to a phone call and I couldn’t go back to sleep,” Cuellar said.
Hollins was a celebrated running back on the high school football field, helping clinch state championships in 2017 and 2018. He was named MVP for the 2018 game.
“He’s a legend,” Cuellar said. “Dude is an animal at football.”
“Had a great personality, always had a big smile on his face and was just a pleasure to have on the team and coach,” University High football coach Andy Martin said.
Martin says Hollins is a well-rounded kind of guy, on and off the field. After graduating in 2019 Hollins went to UVA to continue his passion for football. Martin also couldn’t believe what happened.
“It comes as a shock, the whole situation and everything that happened,” Martin said. “It’s a lot of disbelief going on right not, but again, just hoping for the best for Mike.”