It’s been an intense week in Alexandria.
Here’s a look back on this week’s top stories. Our most-read post was on the shooting of three men in Arlandria on Sunday night (April 27). Police found the victims with gunshot wounds shortly after being called at around 9 p.m. They were transported to area hospitals, and no arrests have been announced. Witnesses heard a barrage of gunfire, and the Alexandria Police Department is asking for help in the investigation.
A North Carolina murder suspect was recently arrested in Alexandria and has been charged with murder and robbery with a deadly weapon.
The victim, 25-year-old Jose Alexander Lara Hernandez, was shot to death in Charlotte on April 19. Two days later, the Alexandria Police Department was notified by a license plate reader that a car belonging to the suspect, Danny Cardoza Lara, was located in the parking lot of a hotel in the 100 block of S. Bragg Street in the city’s West End.
A woman is safe after allegedly being abducted and assaulted by a naked man along the Mount Vernon Trail in Old Town North earlier this month.
“The suspect pinned both of her forearms down and she fought to break free,” police said a recently released search warrant affidavit. “(The victim) said she realized the suspect was fully naked when he was on top of her and she saw his penis. (The victim) tried to push him away specifically with her right hand to the suspect’s left arm. (The victim) said she yelled and the suspect covered her mouth with his hand. The suspect told her, ‘Do you want to die?'”
The Alexandria City Council voted 5-2 to approve changes to the Independent Community Police Review Board ordinance, bringing an end to a years-long process to get the board fully operational.
The approved changes include limiting the board’s subpoena power to documents only and requiring City Council approval for investigations when there’s disagreement between the board and the independent auditor.
A shooting in Alexandria’s Arlandria neighborhood has left three men injured. The incident occurred on Sunday (April 27) just after 9 p.m. in the area of the 3800 block of Old Dominion Boulevard and the 600 block of Notabene Drive.
The Alexandria Police Department (APD) had initially been dispatched to West Glebe Road for reports of gunfire and a report of a victim shot in the back.
Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire sent a note to Cameron Station Civic Association residents after gunfire was reported Thursday morning (April 24) at Ben Brenman Park.
McGuire detailed the incident, and confirmed that multiple gunshots were reported in the 4800 block of Brenman Park Drive. No one was injured and no arrests have been made yet, and APD is asking the public for help in the investigation.
A GoFundMe has been launched for Deaundre Jack, the victim of last Saturday’s (April 19) homicide in the West End.
The 19-year-old Jack was shot and killed in the parking lot of 22 Canterbury Square, and his death remains under investigation by the Alexandria Police Department. The fundraiser has so far exceeded its $5,000 goal by raising $5,360 as of 1:30 p.m. Friday (April 25).
No injuries after multiple gunshots were reported early this morning in the area of Ben Brenman Park in Alexandria’s West End.
The Alexandria Police Department was alerted of four gunshots in the area of the park at around 2:20 a.m.
The Alexandria Police Department has started a 60-day crime plan to focus on larcenies, specifically shoplifting.
The initiative was first announced on APD’s social media pages on April 14. That day, APD posted photos of Officer Bennie Evans visiting shops in Old Town.
Alexandria City Council voted to advance proposed changes to the city’s police oversight ordinances Tuesday night (April 22), moving forward recommendations from a council subcommittee that address key issues, including investigation authority and subpoena power.
The ordinance amendments, which passed on first reading in a 6-1 vote, will be docketed for a public hearing and final passage on Saturday, April 26.
The PNC Alexandria Half Marathon will debut in Old Town on Sunday, April 27. It will feature a half-marathon, a 5K, and a kids’ dash.
This event, produced by Pacers Running and sponsored by PNC Bank, is an evolution of the long-running PNC Parkway Classic. The 13.1-mile course begins at Market Square (301 King St.) and extends through Old Town down the George Washington Parkway. Additional roads surrounding City Hall and Market Square will be closed for race set-up.
