UVA Survivor Breaks His Silence, Says He 'Felt So Hopeless'

UVA shooting survivor Mike Hollins has finally opened up about the horrific murders that unfolded on campus.

Virginia football players D’Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr., and Devin Chandler were gunned down and murdered when former player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. allegedly opened fire on a bus in November. Hollins was able to initially escape the hail of bullets, but was shot while attempting to return to help his teammates.

Jones was taken into custody after an extensive manhunt. Now, the talented running back is opening up about the chaos and evil that unfolded.

Virginia football players D’Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr., and Devin Chandler were murdered in November. (Credit: UVA Football)

"Once I got up and the bus was stopping, was when the gunshots started ringing out, and in that moment, I knew that I, we had to get off that bus because it could get a lot worse. Me and another teammate were the only two to get off the bus, and I turned back, and I look over my shoulder and realize we’re the only two running. I didn’t really think much in that moment, it was just literally an instinct and a reaction to go back. It was just so close, and I felt so hopeless and so powerless in that moment," Hollins said on "Good Morning America," according to Fox News.

Mike Hollins survived a shooting on UVA's campus. (Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

When asked if the alleged shooter said anything before carrying out the massacre, Hollins said he didn't.

"Nothing at all. I mean we locked eyes, and that was it. It was just a cold look. It was, I don’t know, it was just a numb look, and in that moment, I just dropped everything and took off running. I felt him hit me in my back, but I knew I wasn’t going down without a fight. And I found a pre-med student, and that was God again – she was there to help me, she kept me calm, kept my breathing under control, was checking my pulse, until the ambulance came," he further explained.

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. is accused of murdering three UVA football players. (Credit: UVA Football)

UVA and Mike Hollins have a long road to recovery.

The tragic murders sent shockwaves through the UVA community and the country as a whole. A level of evil was displayed that is hard for the average human to comprehend.

Yet, in that incredibly horrific and dark moment, the good in people also shined through. Mike Hollins could have escaped to safety.

He could have kept on running. Instead, he turned back in an attempt to save his teammates. Instead, he ended up getting shot in the back. That's an incredible level of bravery from a young man with no training for a situation like that.

Mike Hollins signed up to play football. He didn't sign up to deal with active shooters on UVA's campus. Fortunately, after several medical operations, he's going to be physically fine. Now, he has to focus on the unseen wounds that might exist after surviving something that traumatic.

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. is accused of murdering three UVA football players. (Photo by Henrico County Sheriff's Office via Getty Images)

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the UVA community and Mike Hollins. It's a truly shocking and terribly sad situation.