VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — One of the three football players fatally shot at the University of Virginia on Sunday night had ties to Virginia Beach.

Devin Chandler’s mom and brother live in the resort city.

Chandler’s dad was a Naval officer, reaching the rank of lieutenant commander, and at one time was stationed at Naval Station Norfolk.

10 On Your Side reached out to Chandler’s immediate family Monday and have not heard back.

Chandler’s mom, Dalayna Chandler, runs a local tutoring and visual learning company called Chandler Educational Services. Per posts on Facebook, the family has lived in Virginia, Florida, Hawaii, Tennessee, North Carolina and Japan.

Devin Chandler was on a full scholarship at the University of Wisconsin before transferring to UVA.

Chandler also has ties to comedian Rickey Smiley. In a nearly 20-minute video that Smiley posted on social media, he recalled the day he met Chandler and his mom Dalayna at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport when Chandler was first looking at colleges. Smiley explained how Dalayna introduced herself and her son and they formed an immediate bond. Smiley said he learned of the shooting from Dalayna over text messages after a praise break on his morning radio show.

“I’m sick to my stomach. I’m devastated,” Smiley said in the video.

Smiley quickly became a mentor to Chandler, who had lost his father to cancer in 2018.

“It started off just meeting him in the airport. He was a great kid. We exchanged numbers and exchanged information and I said anything you need for him, we’re going to make sure he’s straight,” Smiley stated.

Smiley asked fans to pray for the parents and families Chandler and his fellow football teammates, D’Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr.