The Alexandria Police Department have charged Enoc Cruz Villafuerte, 22, for the murder of his brother Jonathan Cruz Villafuerte, 24, early this morning (Monday).
Enoc was arrested at the scene early this morning where Jonathan was found dead.
“The initial call for service was received at approximately 1:56 a.m. for a shots fired incident in the 1400 block of North Beauregard Street,” police said in a release. “Upon arrival, police discovered the deceased, Jonathan Cruz Villafuerte, 24, with an apparent gunshot wound to the upper body. Officers and medics attempted to render aid, but the attempts were unsuccessful.”
The release said Enoc, Jonathan’s brother, was arrested on the scene and is charged with 2nd degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Enoc is being held in the William Truesdale Adult Detention without bond.
This is the fourth homicide in Alexandria this year.
According to the release:
Police are still investigating the incident, and are asking anyone who may have information related to this case to contact APD Detective Michael Whelan via phone at 703.746.6228, email at [email protected], or call our non-emergency line at 703.746.4444. Tips can be anonymous.
Alexandria police say they have a male in custody after a fatal shooting in the West End early this morning.
Bassett said the call for shots fired came in at 1:56 a.m. at 1400 N. Beauregard Street, part of the Brookdale at Mark Center neighborhood in the West End.
Alexandria Police spokesman Marcel Bassett said both suspect and victim were male and knew each other. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and the suspect was arrested at the scene.
Neither the name of the victim nor the suspect have been released at the time of writing.
Notification:: There is a heavy police presence in the 1400 block of North Beauregard Street. This is in response to a shots fired incident that resulted in one fatality. A suspect is in custody, no further details at this time. pic.twitter.com/TCsxp9qqrP
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) June 6, 2022
A man was shot multiple times last year less than a block away.
The shooting is the fourth homicide in Alexandria this year:
- The first homicide victim was Elijah Williams, 25, in March, also in the West End.
- The second homicide was an alleged attempted carjacking on May 13 that turned fatal when the driver shot and killed 18-year-old Jordan Poteat
- The third homicide was the stabbing of 18-year-old Luis Mejia Hernandez on May 24. One 16-year-old has been arrested and charged with murder.
Image via Google Maps
Updated at 3:30 p.m. — A 16-year-old Alexandria City High School student has been arrested in connection to last week’s fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Luis Mejia Hernandez, Alexandria Police tweeted.
The juvenile, who was not named, was arrested more than a week after the May 24 incident, and has been charged with murder. He was arrested sometime Wednesday morning (June 1) and is being held at the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center.
The full statement is below:
The Alexandria Police Department has made an arrest in connection to a stabbing incident, that occurred on May 24, 2022.
A 16-year-old juvenile male, a City of Alexandria resident, was arrested and charged with murder. The juvenile is currently being held in the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center.
The decedent Luis Hernandez, 18, was a City of Alexandria resident.
The investigation is still ongoing.
Hernandez was stabbed during a brawl between 30-to-50 students on Tuesday afternoon (May 24). Police have not disclosed what prompted the fight.
Friends of the victim say that police did not do enough to prevent Hernandez’s death, and police are not conducting an investigation to their response of the incident.
Alexandria City Public Schools went to asynchronous learning after the incident, and will continue with hybrid learning for the remainder of the week.
News Release:: Alexandria Police Department Makes Arrest in Connection to Stabbing Incident
The Alexandria Police Department has made an arrest in connection to a stabbing incident, that occurred on May 24, 2022.
Read more: https://t.co/nqLqfRXaci pic.twitter.com/CZp59rMUzd
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) June 1, 2022
After the police released information on the incident, Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr. sent out the following message:
Dear ACPS Staff and Families,
We want to share with you an update provided today by the Alexandria Police Department (APD) about the loss of Alexandria City High School (ACHS) student Luis MejÃa Hernández. We have been in close contact with the APD and we appreciate your patience and understanding in communicating during an active police investigation, which we understand remains ongoing. Please see the June 1, 2022 APD press release regarding this case.
We want to again assure you that new security measures have been implemented and remain in place at ACHS and we have shared multiple communications with ACHS students and families, including the latest information from Executive Principal Peter Balas on logistics for this week for the Class of 2022 as well as students in grades 9-11.
Just a reminder that the schedule this week has changed with a modified return for ACHS students so we can focus on social, emotional and academic learning to help fulfill critical in-person graduation requirements, provide students with the social-emotional supports needed, and afford students with an opportunity for socialization with their peers. Also, the modified return permits students who prefer classroom time with teachers in person to complete their asynchronous assignments at ACHS.
On behalf of the whole Titan community, I would like to again express our condolences and support for the family of Luis MejÃa Hernández. Our team will continue to support our students, staff and families.
Sincerely,
Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.
Superintendent
(Updated 2:30 p.m.) Friends of Luis Mejia Hernandez say he didn’t have to die.
More than a dozen of the Alexandria City High School senior’s friends paid tribute to him on Thursday night (May 26) with a candlelight vigil at the spot in the Bradlee Center parking lot where he was fatally stabbed on Tuesday afternoon. Many of them witnessed the fight, and say that police didn’t do enough to prevent the death.
“Police were literally walking right behind everyone before people started throwing punches,” said one student, who produced videos and photos of the incident on his phone. “They literally let everything happen.”
The Latino students said that they did not trust the police, and had not yet shared the information with them. One video showed a steadily escalating scene with police officers walking around groups of students along King Street — before the incident occurred.
No police sirens were used before and immediately after the stabbing, and police struggled to break up the fight, according to video obtained by ALXnow. There were about 30-50 Alexandria City High School students involved and no arrests have been made in connection to the incident.
“The police was here before everything started,” another witness said. “They didn’t do anything. They didn’t shoot a gun, they didn’t do anything.”
Police say that they responded appropriately, and are not at fault in their response. Police are also not currently investigating their response to the incident.
At the vigil, some of the students smoked weed and drank tequila — with police in cruisers observing but not engaging from a short distance away. Many of Hernandez’s friends burst into tears while talking about him. Some even left small plastic cups with tequila on the ground next to prayer candles and flowers.
The students did not respond when asked about what prompted the brawl.
“Something is always happening here (in the shopping center),” another friend of Hernandez said. “There was three police cars here. Why didn’t they call more officers? The police station is right there. This was unfair, this could have been prevented, no problem. It didn’t even have to happen.”
A GoFundMe for Hernandez has raised more than $20,000. His friends say that next week his father will take his body home to El Salvador, where his mother lives.
“He was a senior, like me,” one girl said. “He was going to graduate. He so looking forward to getting out of school this summer.”
Some of the kids involved were getting milkshakes at the Beeliner Diner in the shopping center. Owner Noelie Rickey said she provided police with security footage from the day of the incident, and that teenagers drive away her customers during lunch and after school hours.
“Our business has been down all week,” Rickey told ALXnow. “Obviously people are hesitant to come to the shopping center right now… And customers have learned to stay away when the kids are out and not in school.”
Alexandria City High School sent students home after the incident and transitioned to virtual learning for the rest of the week.
Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr. says that police are providing additional high-visibility patrols in school zones, and that there will be support team members available for students when school reopens on Tuesday after Memorial Day.
Hernandez’s death marks the city’s third homicide of 2022 after a murder in the Foxchase neighborhood and a teenager killed in an alleged attempted carjacking in Potomac Yard earlier this month.
Alexandria’s Part 1 crime rate is up, and it’s mostly due to an increase in larcenies and thefts from cars.
Police released the city’s Part 1 crime statistics for 2022 on Tuesday, and included are the reported numbers of homicides, rapes, robberies, grand larcenies from vehicles, and aggravated assaults.
Overall, crimes against people and property in the city are up 7%, when compared to the first five months of last year.
There has been one homicide in 2022 — a 25-year-old man who was found dead on the sidewalk in the West End in March. There were two homicides in the city in 2021 and four homicides in 2020.
Below are Part 1 crimes for the period of January 1 – May 11 for the years 2020, 2021, and 2022:
Crime Type 2020 2021 2022 Homicide 0 0 1 Rape 5 2 1 Robbery 32 34 34 Aggravated Assault 73 76 63 Burglary 46 81 54 Larceny 791 753 845 Grand Larceny from Auto 91 77 98 Total 1,038 1,023 1,096
Larcenies are on the rise, with 845 incidents reported in the first five months of the year — a 12% increase over last year. Thefts from automobiles are also up 27%, with 98 incidents reported.
The city saw a 19% increase in Part 1 crime in 2020, which then fell by 2% in 2021:
Crime Type 2020 2021 Change Homicide 4 2 -2 Rape 14 9 -5 Robbery 88 83 -5 Aggravated Assault 208 241 33 Burglary 126 186 60 Larceny 2,475 2,420 -55 Grand Larceny from Auto 357 268 -89 Total 3,272 3,209 -63 (-2%)
David Jasante Cunningham was formally indicted on Monday (April 11) for the murder of Melia Jones in her West End apartment last December, and has also been charged with two counts of object sexual penetration.
The 40-year-old has been held without bond in the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center since his Jan. 11 arrest. Jones, who was described as a having a “gentle and sweet spirit” in her obituary, was killed by asphyxiation, according to the office of Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter.
Police found Jones wrapped in blankets, and that she was sexually assaulted and had a bag over her head, according to the Washington Post. Cunningham was Jones’ neighbor at the apartment building in the unit block of S. Van Dorn Street, after moving from New York in 2020.
Jones’ death was the second homicide of 2021.
Cunningham faces a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole for the aggravated murder charge and up to life in prison for the object sexual penetration charges. No trial date has been set.
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating the city’s first homicide of 2022 in West End.
Officers responded around 6:50 a.m. Wednesday to the 4500 block of Raleigh Avenue for an unresponsive person lying in the bushes, police said. When they arrived, they discovered Alexandria resident Elijah Williams, 25, dead on the sidewalk near one of the residences.
The Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide due to upper body trauma, according to police.
APD asks anyone with information to contact Detective Ryan Clinch by phone at 703.746.6673 or email [email protected] or call APD’s non-emergency number at 703.746.4444. Tips can be anonymous.
Notification:: There is a heavy police presence in the 4500 block of Raleigh avenue. This is in response to a sudden death. APD is on scene and investigating. No further details at this time. pic.twitter.com/ghzpiZUi7n
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) March 23, 2022
The week was filled with trees blooming across the city during the peak for cherry blossoms.
Aside from picturesque scenes throughout Alexandria, there were some local stories that interested you all — from new pizza places to court updates in crime cases. And at the City Council’s meeting, Dominion Energy said it will invest millions of dollars in Alexandria to prevent future outages like the one at Art on the Avenue last year.
For anyone looking for something to do this evening or who wants to find a way to help Ukraine, locals organized a fundraiser to help refugees. The event is tonight (Friday) from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the rooftop of 277 South Washington Street.
And, here are the top stories from the week:
- Three men indicted after bystander shot in neck at West End 7-Eleven parking lot
- Two juveniles arrested after shots fired in Arlandria
- Alexandria man indicted on first-degree murder charge in BJ’s killing
- Inova campus concept plans at former Landmark site filed with city
- Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana coming to Alexandria Commons Shopping Center
- Alexandria officials push back against ACPS ‘cover up’ story
- Suspect breaks into Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy through roof
- Alexandria police officer arrested, charged with domestic assault and battery
- West End murder suspect’s case to go before grand jury next month
- Alexandria hotel tailors stay to dogs as industry leans into pet-friendly accommodations
Have a great weekend Alexandria!
The case against a man suspected of killing his West End neighbor in December will go to a grand jury next month.
David Jasante Cunningham has been held without bond in the Alexandria jail since his January 11 arrest on a second-degree murder charge of 23-year-old Melia Jones. Police found Jones dead in her in her apartment in the unit block of South Van Dorn Street on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at around 2:40 p.m.
Her death was the second homicide of 2021.
On March 18, Alexandria General District Court Judge Sonya L. Sacks found probable cause to send the case 40-year-old David Cunningham to the Grand Jury for indictment on April 11.
Police found Jones wrapped in blankets, and that she was sexually assaulted and died by asphyxiation, according to the Washington Post. Cunningham reportedly moved to the City from New York in 2020, and had a job at Coca-Cola Enterprises on Seminary Road.
More information on the charges and penalties Cunningham faces will be released after the April Grand Jury proceeding.
A 33-year-old Alexandria resident has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge, a more serious charge than he was previously facing, in connection to a stabbing at BJ’s Wholesale Club in the Landmark area.
The indictment, which a Grand Jury returned March 14, charges Rakibul Islam Fakir on the one felony count of first-degree murder, which is punishable by life in prison, according to a news release from the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
On Sept. 25, Alexandria Police responded to the store next to Van Dorn Plaza around 7:45 p.m. and discovered Maryland resident Abiy Zemene, 29, suffering from stab wounds. Zemene died from the injuries.
Police said at the time that Zemene and Fakir knew each other and Fakir remained at the scene until police arrived. He was then arrested without incident and charged with second-degree murder.
He’s being held at William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center without bail as he awaits trial. A trial date has not been set.
