The Alexandria Police Department suspects that a man shot in Old Town last month likely accidentally shot himself.
APD responded to the 300 block of N. West Street around 9:45 p.m. Oct. 8, after receiving reports of six to eight shots fired and an 18-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the thigh. Police now suspect the man fired at himself while fleeing the scene, according to a recent search warrant affidavit.
The thigh wound was “frequently consistent with a self-inflicted wound sustained by the individual attempting to place a firearm back into or out of their waistband,” according to the affidavit.
Security footage from the incident shows two people in hooded sweatshirts and face masks walk into a playground area, fire multiple shots westbound and flee the scene going east. One suspect then took an item from his waist and raised “his arms in a manner consistent with someone firing a handgun,” according to the affidavit.
“Approximately five bright flashes are seen coming from his raised arms, consistent based on your affiant’s training and experience to [be] muzzle flashes,” police said.
At around the same time, a window was also shot out at a rental office on the 1500 block of Princess Street, about 450 feet from where the shots were fired, according to dispatches.
Police found Ring camera footage of the man who was shot entering a nearby apartment complex, and say he resembled one of the suspects who fired the handgun in the courtyard.
The man who was shot was later transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he told police he was walking to the King Street Metro station with a friend of his “who he refused to identify.”
“He advised that he reached the courtyard area when someone called out to him,” the affidavit says. “He stated that he was then shot but did not know who did it. This version of events was inconsistent with what your affiant observed on surveillance video.”
When a detective challenged the man on his story, he allegedly told police he was fired upon and returned fire. He also said that “someone shot him, and he did not shoot himself,” and requested an attorney, according to the affidavit.
No arrests have been announced, and APD said on Facebook that the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information on this incident can contact the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
