Police are asking for the community’s help to find an SUV allegedly used by a suspect in yesterday’s fatal shooting in Arlandria.
A 29-year-old Alexandria man named Eric Holmes Jr. was identified as the victim in Monday’s fatal drive-by shooting. Holmes was shot in a hail of gunfire around 11:30 a.m. in the 800 block of W. Glebe Road, according to scanner traffic.
“We will end this cycle of violence in our community, but only with your support,” said Mayor Justin Wilson in an APD video posted on YouTube.
“Every day I hear from residents who are so concerned, frightened by this violence and how it is impacting our community, including those who are directly impacted by this violence,” he continued. “The Alexandria Police Department will have the resources they need to keep the community safe, but they need your support to help us do that.”
The incident is the fifth homicide of 2023 and was also the second shooting within a week in Alexandria.
“We need you as a community to help us identify and speak up,” City Manager Jim Parajon said in the video. “When you see something, say something. When you hear about something, you know about something. That’s the only way that we as a community are going to be able to solve this crisis together.”
The city’s gun-related crime skyrocketed 100% in 2022, with 152 gun-related incidents that year, versus 76 incidents in 2021.
To combat the emerging trend, police intend to add multiple mobile camera units to areas with high crime and pilot a “gunshot detection system” next year. The department is also sponsoring community cookouts and coffee meetups.
In the video, Police Chief Don Hayes said he hasn’t seen the city this violent in his 30 years as a resident.
“We are outraged at the senseless violence that is taking place in our city,” Hayes said, urging the community to come forward with helpful information. “We know that someone saw someone and they know something.”
Anyone with information on this incident can upload video, photo and audio files to an APD portal, contact Detective Michael Whelan at Michael.Whelan@alexandriava.