The Alexandria Police Department (APD) said the two shootings on Saturday are believed to be unrelated.
Assistant Chief Easton McDonald said in a press conference this afternoon that the timing forced the police department to split its manpower.
McDonald said Alexandria was warned by Arlington County that a group of ATV riders were heading into the city and that police had units on standby in case of violence, but the first shooting caused those units to be redirected and they weren’t present when the second shooting occurred.
The first shooting occurred in Arlandria around 7:45. p.m. on the 3800 block of Florence Drive. While police resources were diverted to that shooting, another one took place at a gathering of motorcycle and ATV riders around 8:15 p.m. along S. Patrick Street in Old Town.
McDonald said by the time officers who were at the location of the second shooting returned from the scene of the first shooting, everyone had cleared out. Police said the evidence suggests there were multiple weapons involved in the second shooting.
There were two victims, both 30-year-old men, connected to the gas station shooting, McDonald said. Both victims allegedly fled the scene. McDonald said one was located near National Harbor and was taken to a hospital, the second was identified at a hospital.
McDonald said both incidents are under investigation and all victims are in stable condition.