Police are searching for a gunman who shot five people, all teenagers, inside a Fairfax County, Virginia, apartment building early Tuesday morning.
The incident happened around 1 a.m. in an apartment complex on the 7900 block of Janna Lee Avenue, in the Alexandria section of Fairfax. After receiving multiple phone calls, officers arrived at the scene to find all five victims suffering from gunshot injuries.
Numerous rounds were fired during the incident, and the alleged shooter fled the scene before police arrived. The victims, three females and two males, ranged between 14 to 19 years old.
They were all treated at the scene and transported to the hospital in stable condition. All injuries were deemed to be non-life-threatening, police Chief Edwin C. Roessler said.
“This is an act of gun violence, and it’s especially just horrible and unacceptable that these acts of gun violence involve juveniles, young members of our community,” said Roessler. “It’s senseless.”
Head of the Major Crimes Bureau Edward O’Carroll describes the suspect as a tall individual of an unknown race, wearing a face mask and being considered armed and dangerous.
While they were all together during the shooting, O’Carroll said it is still unknown to detectives if the victims knew the shooter.
Police walked back an earlier belief that the shooting began with a dispute, saying detectives were still working to determine what led to the incident. They plan to talk with all five victims after they receive treatment for their injuries.
As Fairfax police plan to have “the best detectives on this case,” O’Carroll said he is asking the public for its help in identifying the suspect, calling its support “critical” towards the investigation.
“The act that was committed last night is violence the community will not stand for,” O’Carroll said.
Anyone with information or video of the incident is encouraged to call the police department’s Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800 or Fairfax County’s Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-8477.
Below is a map of the area:
WTOP’s Andrea Cambron contributed to this story.
