A man was shot in the West End early Sunday morning, and walked into a 7-Eleven on Lincolnia Road for help.
The incident occurred at around 1:45 a.m. in the 200 block of N. Breckinridge Place, and the victim walked less than a quarter mile to get help at the 7-Eleven at 6120 Lincolnia Road, according to dispatch reports. The victim suffered a non-life threatening injury.
The incident remains under investigation and no arrests have been made, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
Anyone with information on this incident can call the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
Notification:: There is a moderate police presence in the 200 block of North Breckinridge Place, this is in response to a shooting. One victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries. APD is on the scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/5pUXB20Qp6
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) June 4, 2023
Map via Google Maps
(Updated 2:40 p.m.) Police said two teens were shot in a residential area near Interstate 395 and N. Van Dorn Street on Wednesday night.
Alexandria Police Department received multiple calls at around 8:15 p.m. reporting 15-20 gunshots in a residential area in the 5400 block of Richenbacher Avenue, which is near N. Van Dorn Street and Interstate 395.
One of the victims, a 17-year-old male, was shot in the lower body. The second victim was a 16-year-old male. Both victims were transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Witnesses told police that two suspects were seen jumping into a red and white Mini Cooper and fleeing the area.
Police reported via dispatch that multiple shell casings from a rifle were found at the scene.
No arrests have been made in connection with this incident, according to APD.
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 shooting there is a heavy police presence in the 5400 block of Richenbacher Avenue. Two people suffered non-life-threatening injuries. APD is on the scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/g1x5yVSDeA
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) June 1, 2023
(Updated 5/17) Police are investigating another shooting at the Andrew Adkins housing development, just a block from the Braddock Road Metro station.
Scanner traffic indicated one woman was shot and a dark grey vehicle — possibly a Dodge Journey — with tinted windows fled the scene. Police said the shooting occurred near the 1300 block of Wythe Street. Police later said the victim was a child.
According to Alexandria Police spokesman Marcel Bassett:
In response to a shooting, there is a moderate police presence near and around the 1300 block of Wythe Street. One person sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. APD is on the scene and investigating.
The scene has been the site of several shootings recently.
“They’ve got to stop shooting around here,” one resident told ALXnow. “This is where kids play.”
Notification:: In response to a shooting, there is a moderate police presence near and around the 1300 block of Wythe Street. One person sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. APD is on the scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/jM9K6ESaYb
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) May 16, 2023
SHOOTING — in the area of North Fayette St and 1200 blk Wythe St in Alexandria. Victim still conscious. Police are canvassing for the shooter who shot from a sedan. #OldTownWest @AlexandriaNow pic.twitter.com/dKWeWefPtX
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) May 16, 2023
H/t to Alan Henney. James Cullum contributed to this story.
(Updated 2:45 p.m.) A 28-year-old Prince William County man was arrested for the murder of a 25-year-old more than a year ago, the Alexandria Police Department announced today.
Dontae LaShawn Drumgold is being held without bond in connection with the death of Elijah Williams in March 2022.
Drumgold was arrested in another jurisdiction on May 1, and arrested in Alexandria yesterday (Monday), according to court records reviewed by ALXnow.
He was charged with first-degree murder and one count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. He went to court today for a preliminary hearing. No trial date has been set, according to the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.
APD did not say in its announcement where Drumgold was arrested and did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
Williams was shot dead and found by police on the sidewalk in the 4500 block of Raleigh Avenue at around 7 a.m. on March 25, 2022 — last year’s first homicide.
“The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the head,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter said.
First-Degree Murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole. Use of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony requires a three-year mandatory minimum sentence.
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
New Release Update:: APD arrested Dontae Drumgold, 28, and charged him with First-Degree Murder and one count of Use of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony in response to a homicide from March 23, 2022.
Read more:: https://t.co/MS5KRkjPMo pic.twitter.com/GNMuuB8wiW
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) May 9, 2023
Image via Alexandria Sheriff’s Office
A 41-year-old Alexandria man is being held without bond on multiple charges after allegedly shooting a gun at a vehicle while driving, strangling a former girlfriend, eluding police and discarding a handgun on Interstate 395.
The victim called police at around 11:15 p.m. on Friday night (May 5) and reported that the suspect allegedly fired several shots at other vehicles in the area of E. Raymond Avenue and Dewitt Avenue, according to dispatch reports.
Scanner traffic shows that the suspect was driving in an older model white Chrysler, which was located just before midnight going north on N. Van Dorn Street near Kenmore Avenue. Police chased the Chrysler at speeds up to 90 miles per hour before the suspect drove onto I-395 northbound near Glebe Road and allegedly threw a handgun out the driver’s side window, prompting police to section off a portion of the highway. The Chrysler broke down minutes later on I-395 near the Washington Boulevard exit.
The suspect was charged with strangling, abduction by force, malicious shooting at a train/car, firearm possession by a nonviolent felon, assault and battery, driving on a revoked/suspended license, shooting in a public place and eluding police. He goes to court on June 21.
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.”
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a shots fired incident on the 700 block of N. Fayette Street near the Braddock Road Metro station.
Multiple gunshots were overheard at the intersection of North Fayette Street and Madison Street, according to scanner traffic. The first call came in around 3:26 p.m.
Alexandria Police spokesman Marcel Bassett told ALXnow no injuries have been reported.
The shooting comes on the same block where the city has had multiple shots fired incidents recently.
Notification:: In response to a shots-fired incident, there is a moderate police presence in the 700 block of North Fayette Street. No injuries were reported in connection with this incident. APD is on the scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/0RMvNnFPMs
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) May 4, 2023
Image via Google Maps
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.
- 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)
- Increase presence by random community walks multiple times per week (specifically Samuel Madden, Cameron Valley, and Andrew Adkins)
- 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
- Improve community relations by door knocking and having informal “meet and greets” with people in the community
- 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)
- 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
- Create a police liaison who will act as a bridge between the Safety Committee and APD
- Enforce disturbing of the peace after certain hours to limit the late-night partying and drinking that could lead to violence and crime
- Provide diversity training for officers with the intent and purpose for them to learn how to police different demographics
- 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)
- Be more responsive to calls directly from ARHA communities
- Create a means to hold Resident Police Officers accountable for properly policing their assigned communities
- 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
A 28-year-old Fairfax County man wanted for a Jan. 4 shooting incident faces numerous charges after allegedly striking an Alexandria Police Department cruiser in the Landmark area earlier this month.
Police arrested Mengesha Mnat after a brief chase on April 3, after he allegedly pulled into the 7-Eleven parking lot at 6120 Lincolnia Road, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit. Police said Mnat parked facing the street and struck a police cruiser as APD approached his car to make an arrest.
Police tracked Mnat to an apartment complex less than a mile away near the intersection of Little River Turnpike and Southland Avenue. He was reportedly pursued by APD investigators and the K9 unit.
“Mr. Mnat parked the vehicle and fled on foot, (and) while running your affiant could observe Mr. Mnat manipulating his hands around his waistband,” police said in the search warrant affidavit.
The following was recovered from the suspect’s “flight path”:
- A loaded Glock handgun
- 11.8 grams of suspected fentanyl, which field-tested positive
- 5.8 grams of suspected cocaine
- 1.5 pills of Oxycodone
Mnat is suspected in a Jan. 4 shooting incident in the 6100 block of Lincolnia Road. He was charged with discharging a firearm in a public place, resisting arrest, disregarding police commands to stop, assault on law enforcement, hit and run (property damage), possession of Schedule I/II drugs with a firearm, and possession to distribute Schedule I/II drugs.
Mnat goes to court on April 26.
Notification:: There is a moderate police presence in the 6100 block of Lincolnia Road. This is in response to a shots fired call for service, no injuries were reported in connection with the incident. APD is on the scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/jSQl6tsUUz
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) January 5, 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
