No one was injured and no arrests have been made after shots were fired in the 6200 block of Duke Street on Sunday morning.

Alexandria Police were dispatched at around 10:30 a.m. to the area near the Landmark Mall site after a driver called in the incident. The caller reportedly told police that the suspect was a male wearing all-black clothing and black sneakers with white soles.

Police brought a K-9 unit to the scene, but no arrest was made.

The incident occurred less than a mile from where a man was shot on April 15, and near to where a man was murdered in March.

Anyone with information on this incident can call the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.

Notification:: In response to a shots fired call for service, there is a moderate police presence in the 6200 block of Duke Street. No injuries were reported. APD is on scene and will continue to investigate this incident. pic.twitter.com/b0BRLFIWW5

— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 30, 2023

Image via Google Maps

Adding police presence to high-crime areas, putting more cops in communities and strategically placing mobile camera units are just a few of the initial strategies that the Alexandria Police Department is employing to confront a crime surge.

APD Assistant Chief Easton McDonald briefed City Council on the uptick on Tuesday night, and also said that there is an increase in juvenile crime and crimes being committed by young people.

“There is an uptick with juveniles,” McDonald told Council. “From April 1 to April 23, there have been approximately 27 encounters with juveniles that have either been charged with illegal weapons possession, drugs with the intent to sell, grand larceny of a vehicle where we had four juveniles that (allegedly) stole a vehicle, fled from the vehicle, and there was a weapon inside the vehicle.”

APD reported 11 shooting incidents this month, including three incidents on Monday, April 17. On that day, a clerk at a 7-Eleven was shot in a robbery in the early morning, followed by a shooting in the 1200 block of Madison Street near the Braddock Road Metro station, and then a shooting near a bus stop at the Bradlee Shopping Center. Three males, ages 17, 18, and 19, were arrested in connection to the Old Town incident and an 18-year-old male suspended from Alexandria City High School was arrested for the shooting at Bradlee, McDonald told Council.

McDonald said APD is forming a new community safety stakeholder group made up of local residents and officials to develop solutions, including outreach regarding available youth programs. The stakeholder group is yet to be named and will meet next month at APD headquarters, McDonald said.

“A weapon should not be in the hands of a teenager,” he said. “They should not be held in bookbags, so the stakeholder group is to get back into the communities to let these individuals know that this is not going to be tolerated. This is not something that can continue, and the (city’s) federal partners are going to deal with those individuals who are felons with guns. And we are arresting felons with guns.”

APD is increasing its presence in high-crime areas, such as the West End and Braddock areas, and plans on returning officers to specific beats, McDonald said. The department will also participate in numerous community cookouts and weekly walks through neighborhoods experiencing crime.

“We plan on working with the community to stop this,” McDonald said. “The goal is to reduce this gun violence.”

Mayor Justin Wilson said that APD can be more aggressive around serving warrants.

“We can be more aggressive around warrant service and things like that, where we’re getting out there and going to find people who we know are in the community that we’re looking for and devoting resources to try and to address some of those things,” he said. “If we can get people off the streets that shouldn’t be on the streets who are at risk of committing crimes, I think that’s always going to be a positive.”

Vice Mayor Amy Jackson said that a recent shooting outside a bus stop in the Bradlee Shopping Center brought back bad memories of last year’s murder of 18-year-old Luis Mejia Hernandez in that same shopping center. Jackson said she’s concerned that Alexandria City High School kids will be congregating at the shopping center in greater numbers in the next couple of weeks as they take their Standards Of Learning (SOL) tests.

“The uptick in crime is a major thing,” Jackson said. “We’re coming up on SOL (Standards Of Learning tests) season. SOL means, if the community is not aware, some kids are in school for a couple hours during the day and then they’re in their classrooms and watching movies and studying for other SOL tests. But most of them will be released and they will not get on yellow buses to go home from the schools. They will get on DASH buses that are free fare. What is the plan for Bradlee, because that is happening in the next two weeks?”

McDonald tried to put the three shooting incidents on April 17 into context by saying that APD responds to 400-to-600 calls for service daily.

“The children have an absolute right to walk into those stores and be in those particular areas,” McDonald said. “We are there. Our presence does prevent crime. There’s always going to be a case where that doesn’t work, but we will be there as fast as we can to mitigate what happens.”

A number of shooting incidents occur in the 1200 block of Madison Street in the Braddock neighborhood, in a property managed by the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority. On April 21, there was another shooting on that same block, prompting Wilson to announce the addition of cameras and police foot patrols to the area.

As previously reported, an ARHA resident told ALXnow that he fears for his son’s life.

“I been here three years next month, and counting today I’ve heard at least 160 gunshots,” the man said. “It’s a lot, man. Right outside my back door. I have a four year old son and I had to train him to run upstairs and duck. I’m glad he’s in school right now. I feel like we’re sitting ducks. Something’s got to be done. I’m trying to get out of here. Nobody should have to live like this.”

Kevin Harris is an ARHA board member, and said he’s happy about the plan by APD.

“I’m happy about the measures the city is taking to mitigate violence and crime throughout the city,” Harris said. “Also, I’m pleased with the measures that the residents of the ARHA in partnership with the organization as a whole have been taking for years to keep our kids and families safe. It’s a grave miscalculation and misunderstanding to think that the families of ARHA’s communities are unconcerned or participants in these acts of violence in their communities. These families are just as concerned as their neighbors.”

After a crime wave in 2020, that fall ARHA’s safety committee made the following recommendations to the police department to reduce crime incidents. Many of the recommendations are in line with APDs current strategy to reduce crime.

1. Increase police presence in high crime areas by stationing officers in cars in areas that are known for a high volume of loitering to deter criminal activity (specifically for its Samuel Madden, Cameron Valley, and Andrew Adkins properties)
2. Increase presence by random community walks multiple times per week (specifically Samuel Madden, Cameron Valley, and Andrew Adkins)
3. Increase positive community engagement such as events for the youth, neighborhood educational workshops (knowing your rights, tips on police engagement, how broken laws affect the community), etc. to build a positive rapport with the community
4. Improve community relations by door knocking and having informal “meet and greets” with people in the community
5. Meet with the Safety Committee and provide training and insight on how to report a crime (develop a special way for safety committee members to contact law enforcement)
6. Create a standing monthly meeting between the Chief of Police and the Chairman of the Safety Committee and/or the leaders of the Safety Committee
7. Create a police liaison who will act as a bridge between the Safety Committee and APD
8. Enforce disturbing of the peace after certain hours to limit the late-night partying and drinking that could lead to violence and crime
9. Provide diversity training for officers with the intent and purpose for them to learn how to police different demographics
10. Reevaluate tactics for obtaining crime tips (never approach people at home, meet privately away from the community, and create and/or educate people on a discreet way for people to report crimes)
11. Be more responsive to calls directly from ARHA communities
12. Create a means to hold Resident Police Officers accountable for properly policing their assigned communities
13. Create a Citizen’s Police Review Board with representation from various communities throughout the City of Alexandria with at least one representative from the Safety Committee appointed on the board. Sincerely, Loren Depina, Chairperson of the ARHA Resident Association Safety Committee

An arrest has been made after an Alexandria man was shot in the neck while returning home to pick up clothes after a domestic dispute, police said in a recently released search warrant affidavit.

The incident occurred Saturday, March 18, near an apartment that the male victim shared with his child’s mother and child in the 400 block of N. Armistead Street. Prior to the shooting, police mediated a domestic assault complaint between the victim and his child’s mother in an apartment. The victim told police that he agreed to leave the apartment and made an arrangement to return to pick up clothes.

“The victim had reportedly arranged to return to the residence to retrieve clothing, when he was confronted at gunpoint by an unknown masked male, who he saw coming from the direction of his residence,” police said in the search warrant affidavit. “The victim reported that the masked male was intently focused on him immediately prior to the encounter and made the statement: ‘Don’t try anything stupid,’ as he pulled out the pistol and aimed it at the victim.”

The victim told police that he didn’t believe the man would pull the trigger, and moved. The victim told police that four shots rang out and that he got shot in the neck. A witness told police that the victim screamed, “She set me up! She set me up!” according to the search warrant affidavit.

The suspect fled the area in a white Honda with Virginia plates, which were tracked to a 24-year-old Alexandria man. The suspect was arrested on April 17, and is being held without bond. He was charged with malicious wounding and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

The suspect goes to court on May 31.

The Alexandria Sexual Assault Center and Domestic Violence Program is available 24/7 to listen and help at 703-746-4911.

“If you are a neighbor and know that an abusive incident is occurring, call the police immediately,” the city said. “Calling the police is simply the most effective way to protect the victim and children from immediate harm.”

News Release:: At approximately 10:26 a.m. on Saturday, March 18, 2023, the Alexandria Police Department responded to a call for shots fired in the 400 block of North Armistead Street.

Read more: https://t.co/LUNbbwGJTK pic.twitter.com/cl6N1NM78c

— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) March 19, 2023

Image via Google Maps

(Updated 1:30 p.m.) No suspects were arrested after two related incidents of gunfire from a chase between two vehicles in the West End last Saturday night (April 15).

The first incident occurred at 7:58 p.m. at Braddock Road and North Van Dorn Street, in the underpass below Interstate 395. Police said on the scanner that a black SUV was involved in a gunfight with another vehicle.

Nine minutes later, at 8:07 p.m., the same vehicles were observed firing at each other again — this time three miles away and in front of the U.S. Post Office at 2226 Duke Street.

Alexandria Police said that it’s likely that the incidents are related, and that no injuries were reported.

“Currently this incident is an active investigation, so there is limited information available however there were two different locations with weapon violations, and no injuries were reported in connection with this incident and no vehicles to recover,” APD spokesman Marcel Bassett told ALXnow. “There is reason to believe that both shots fired incidents are related.”

There were a number of gunfire-related incidents this week in Alexandria, with three incidents reported on Monday, April 19. On Tuesday, Police Chief Don Hayes that patrols through violent areas will increase and that the department will work to reduce crime with community events.

Anyone with information on Saturday’s incidents can contact the Alexandria Police Department non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.

Notification:: In response to two shots fired incidents there are temporary road closures near and around Duke and Dove Street, as well as North Van Dorn Street and Braddock Road. No injuries were reported in connection with these incidents. APD is investigating. pic.twitter.com/5CE6tdI1BI

— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 16, 2023

Image via Google Maps

Yesterday afternoon, Alexandria Police Chief Don Hayes and his staff walked through an Old Town neighborhood that was a crime scene on Monday.

“I’m here to reassure people that this will happen, but that this is still a safe neighborhood,” Hayes told ALXnow. “I just walk around in the neighborhoods knock on doors, talk to people. Sometimes it can last three or four hours.”

Alexandria’s gun-related crime surged 100% in 2022. Police recently unveiled a plan to install gunshot detection systems throughout the city, although the action needs City Council approval and is planned for next year’s budget. For now, the Alexandria Police Department’s short-term answer to rising crime is to increase police patrols and getting officers in neighborhoods with community cookouts.

There were multiple incidents of gunfire over the weekend, with three incidents on Monday alone. In the area Hayes visited on Monday, three juveniles were arrested after an estimated 40 shots were fired. The shots were fired in an alleyway in the 1200 block of Madison Street, a block away from the Braddock Road Metro station, and no one was injured. Earlier Monday, at 2 a.m., a 7-Eleven clerk was shot in the leg in a robbery. Later in the day, shots were fired at the Bradlee Shopping Center.

“I don’t walk around here at night anymore,” said a resident who lives near to where the shots were fired Monday. “I find myself on my guard all the time, and I’m on high-alert all the time. I read the news and I keep aware of my surroundings.”

City Manager Jim Parajon stopped by to hear what Hayes had to say.

“It’s tough,” Parajon said. “I mean, we’re seeing a rise in gun violence across the country.”

Hayes also plans to keep walking through communities affected by crime every week to talk with residents.

APD will also host 10 upcoming community cookouts, which are sponsored by a number of nonprofits and city agencies. The following cookouts will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m:

• Tuesday, April 25, at Ruby Tucker Family Center
• Thursday, April 27, at Princess Square in Old Town
• Tuesday, May 2, at the Shoppes at Foxchase
• Friday May 5, at Casa Chirilagua
• Tuesday, May 9, at Brent Place Apartments
• Thursday, May 11, at Southern Towers apartments
• Tuesday, May 16, at Hillwood Condominiums
• Thursday, May 18, at the South Port Apartments
• Tuesday May 23, at Andrew Adkins Housing
• Thursday, May 25, at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center field

A clerk at the 7-Eleven convenience store at 3023 Duke Street was shot in the leg in a robbery early this morning.

At around 2 a.m., a man dressed in black wearing a black mask went into the store, displayed a handgun and walked behind the counter, according to staff. The suspect reportedly shot into the floor behind the counter and the bullet ricocheted and hit the clerk in the leg.

The clerk was “seriously injured with non-life threatening injuries,” APD tweeted.

Police were dispatched to the scene after a report of the suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of cash from the register.

The store is located across the street from Bishop Ireton High School and a block away from the Alexandria Commons Shopping Center.

No arrests have been made in connection to this incident. Anyone with information can call the police department’s non-emergency line at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.

Notification:: In response to a commercial robbery/shooting there is a moderate police presence in and around the 3000 block of Duke Street. One person was seriously injured with non-life-threatening injuries. APD is on the scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/3PWZFEvuqt

— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 17, 2023

Map via Google Maps

A 58-year-old Alexandria man suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being shot in the hallway of a Landmark area apartment building early Thursday night, according to the Alexandria Police Department.

Police said the incident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. on the ninth floor of an apartment building in the 300 block of S. Reynolds Street.

Dispatchers responded to a man shot in the arm who suffered “serious but non-life threatening injuries,” APD tweeted.

No suspects have been arrested in connection to the shooting, and the investigation remains active, APD told ALXnow.

The incident occurred near to where a man was murdered last month.

Anyone with information on the incident can call the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.

Notification:: In response to a shooting, there is a heavy police presence in the 300 block of South Reynolds Street. One person suffered a serious but non-life-threatening injury and was transported to the hospital. APD is on scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/DFfPitccx5

— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 13, 2023

Map via Google Maps

No one was injured after robbers fired a gun and stole a cash register inside the 7-Eleven at 800 Franklin Street in Old Town, according to the Alexandria Police Department.

The incident occurred just after midnight today (April 12). Police were dispatched to the store for a report of the theft and a single gunshot inside the store. The suspects reportedly fled the area in a black SUV.

Anyone with information on the robbery can call the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.

Notification:: In response to a shots fired incident/commercial robbery, there is a heavy police presence in and around the 800 block of Franklin Street. No injuries were reported in connection with this incident. APD is on the scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/y4QQchu0EO

— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 12, 2023

via Google Maps

No injuries were reported after shots were fired in the West End on Monday night.

The incident occurred at around 9:45 p.m. in a residential area near the intersection of Ascot Court and Sanger Avenue, which is a block away from N. Beauregard Street. No arrest was made.

There were two unrelated gunfire incidents near to where this incident occurred within the last two weeks.

• Gunfire outside the 7-Eleven convenience store at 6464 Lincolnia Road on Thursday, March 30
• A man was seriously injured by gunfire in the 400 block of N. Armistead Street on Saturday, March 18

Anyone with information on these incidents can call the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.

Notification:: In response to a shots fired call for service, there is a moderate police presence in and near the intersections of Ascot Court and Sanger Avenue. No injuries or property damage were reported in connection with this incident. APD is on scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/QRK4Y4467B

— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 4, 2023

Map via Google Maps

No arrests were made after gunshots were reported in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven convenience store at 6464 Lincolnia Road on Thursday afternoon.

No one was injured after the incident, which occurred at around 4:45 p.m. The building was not struck and no one was injured, store staff confirmed to ALXnow.

Alexandria Police were dispatched to the area to search for a silver Honda, which fled the area at high speed.

Anyone with information on this incident can call the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.

Notification:: In response to a shots fired incident, there is a moderate police presence in and near the 6100 block of Lincolnia Road. No injuries or property damage reported in connection to this incident. APD is on scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/rGJYt6biKh

— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) March 30, 2023

Map via Google Maps