Washington, Nov 15 (IANS): Three members of the University of Virginia's football team were shot dead in an attack on a bus of students returning from a field trip on Sunday night, reports said.

Two others were injured in the shooting, University President Jim Ryan said, as per the BBC.

The shooter, who has been identified as varsity student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr, 22, was apprehended early on Monday, but it is not yet known what prompted him to commit the crime.

The shooting reportedly took place at around 10.30 p.m. local time on Sunday at a garage on Culbreth Road, on the university's Charlottesville campus.

"It resulted in three fatalities; two additional victims were injured and are receiving medical care," Ryan said in a letter to the university community posted on social media.

The victims were identified as second-year student Devin Chandler, fourth-year student D'Sean Perry, and third-year student Lavel Davis.

Police said the bodies of the victims were found inside a charter bus after they returned from a field trip. They were attacked as the bus pulled into a parking garage on the university campus.

Classes were cancelled on Monday.