Judge to Hear Forensics Arguments in Officer Shooting

Arguments will be made in Alexandria General District Court Monday morning related to the case of police Officer Peter Laboy, who was shot in the head in Alexandria in February.

An Alexandria Circuit Court judge will hear Monday arguments related to forensics in the case of Officer Peter Laboy, who was shot in the head in Old Town Alexandria, reports WUSA9.  The office of the commonwealth attorney said Woodbridge resident Kashif Bashir, who allegedly shot Laboy in February outside of Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, cannot call a forensic scientist to challenge their testing methods, according to the report. Bashir’s defense filed a response Friday (see attached PDF) to the commonwealth’s “motion to quash,” arguing Virginia law allows him to cross-examine any witnesses who testify against him. The hearing is set for 11 a.m. in Alexandria General District Court.

• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)

Capital Murder Indictment in Shooting of Retired Federal Agent

Prosecutors have not decided whether to seek the death penalty for Aric Smith, of Woodbridge, in the Feb. 20 killing.

Woodbridge resident Aric Smith has been indicted on a capital murder charge after he was accused of fatally shooting retired federal agent Gregory Holley in Woodbridge on Feb. 20 while Holley was walking his dog, the Washington Post reports.  Police said the Wertz Drive shooting happened as part of a "robbery gone wrong," according to the Post.  If Smith is convicted, he could be sentenced with the death penalty.  "Commonwealth's Attorney Paul B. Ebert said he has not decided whether to seek the death penalty if Smith is convicted," the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Holley, 55, is survived by a spouse and four children. After his retirement in 2009, he lived a quiet life managing his church finances. 

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Suspect in Alexandria Police Shooting Has Long History of Traffic Violations, Other Charges

Neighbors of Kashif Bashir also recount visits from police — both this week and in the past.

The Woodbridge taxi driver charged with shooting an Alexandria police officer in the head Wednesday is no stranger to law enforcement. Several Northern Virginia jurisdictions list charges against Kashif Bashir over the past few years — with many of those charges coming at the end of traffic stops similar to the one that ended so violently Wednesday. Alexandria Police Officer Peter Laboy was shot at the corner of S. St. Asaph and Wilkes streets, just outside a school playground and a few blocks from the bustle of King Street in Old Town. Police arrested Bashir after he crashed his taxi in Fairfax County, ending a police chase that started moments after the shooting. Bashir, 27, an Alexandria Yellow Cab driver, is charged with malicious …

•  20 Comments
• Photos (1)

Police: Wertz Drive Shooting Death Leads to Woodbridge Arrest

Man charged with first degree murder after the Wednesday night homicide, according to Prince William County Police.

Police: Wertz Drive Shooting Death Leads to Woodbridge Arrest

Man charged with first degree murder after the Wednesday night homicide, according to Prince William County Police.

Police have arrested and charged a man with first degree murder after another Woodbridge man was shot along Wertz Drive in Woodbridge, Prince William County police spokesperson Jonathan Perok said.  Aric Alexander Smith, 25, of Woodbirdge, was also charged with armed robbery and using a firearm in commission of a felony. Police initially responded on Feb. 20 at 9:40 p.m. to the 3700 block of Wertz Drive for a report of shots fired.  "Witnesses reported seeing a man fleeing the area on foot who was believed to be the shooter," Perok said. "The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation revealed that the victim was walking his dog in the area above when he was approached by an unknown man, identified as the accused. During …

•  19 Comments
• Photos (1)

Woodbridge Man Arrested After Fredericksburg Shooting Injures Two

Multiple fights at Central Station in Fredericksburg progressed into multiple shots fired.

Two men were shot and a large crowd interfered with officers trying to make an arrest early Sunday at KC's Music Alley and Central Station, Natatia Bledsoe, a City of Fredericksburg Police Department spokesperson told Patch. Officers were in the area due to previous altercations during certain types of events at this facility, Bledsoe said. At about 1:50 a.m., an officer nearby but not on the property called in on the radio that he heard multiple shots fired, coming from the venue. Responding law enforcement encountered hundreds of people exiting the building, Bledsoe said. A security guard was assisting one victim, who had been shot in the leg. The 29-year-old male from Montross, Va., was transported by ambulance to Mary Washington …

• Photos (1)

Police: Woman Accidentally Shot After Orchestrating Robbery

Sarah Lynn McKelvey, 23, of Triangle, allegedly set up acquaintances to be robbed; charged with robbery and malicious wounding.

Police say a woman set up two acquaintances to be robbed Monday night but was accidentally shot during the incident.  Sarah Lynn McKelvey, 23, of Graham Court in Triangle, was charged with robbery and malicious wounding.  A 47-year-old Triangle woman picked up McKelvey and a 42-year-old Fredericksburg man near Dumfries shopping plaza and drove them just before 5 p.m.  to the 18200 block of Graham Court in Triangle (near Dumfries). "Once there, the man approached the vehicle, displayed a handgun and began assaulting the male victim with the handgun," Officer Jonathan Perok, a spokesman for the Prince William County Police Department, said in a press release.  As the suspect was beating the victim, the gun went off and struck McKelvey, who …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Police: Woman Shot, Man Assaulted in Dumfries

Police said the incident did not appear to be random.

Update Dec. 4, 11:30 a.m. Police said that an arrest has been made, but the shooter is still at large. Additional details will be available soon.  Original post: A woman was shot and a man assaulted in Dumfries Monday evening, Prince William County Police said.  Two victims walked into the rescue station near Graham Court—where the incident took place—to report the shooting, Prince William County Police wrote on their Facebook page. An adult female victim had sustained a gunshot wound to her upper body, while the man been assaulted. The woman's present condition was unknown as of 6:30 p.m. She was flown to an area hospital. The man was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.  Graham Park Middle School was placed in …

• Photos (1)

Police: Reward Offered For Help in Fatal Hit and Run Investigation

Have you seen the vehicle reportedly involved?

The Prince William County Police Department needs help in finding the vehicle reportedly involved in a fatal hit and run on Oct. 23, police spokesperson Jonathan Perok said.  The hit and run reportedly happened on Bayside Avenue in Woodbridge. The victim of an Oct. 23 shooting at Marumsco Plaza ran across Bayside Avenue and was struck by an unknown vehicle, Perok reported.   "The driver of the striking vehicle left the scene prior to police arrival," Perok said. "The driver of the vehicle in the hit and run was not involved in the shooting. The victim was flown to an area hospital with life threatening injuries sustained after being hit by the vehicle. On Monday, Nov. 5, the victim died from injuries sustained during the hit and run." …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Man Charged With Shooting; Police Search for Hit-and-Run Driver

Frederick Santiago, 23, of Fireside Court in Woodbridge, was charged with aggravated malicious wounding and the use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

Prince William County police have arrested a Woodbridge man in connection with the Tuesday night shooting at Marumsco Plaza in Woodbridge.  Frederick Santiago, 23, of Fireside Court in Woodbridge, was charged with aggravated malicious wounding and the use of a firearm in commission of a felony. Police said that Santiago shot at an acquaintance because the two were having a fight over a "previous incident," according to a news release.   Prince William County Police responded to the incident at 6:56 p.m., when a 22-year-old victim from Woodbridge was shot at in the parking lot. Santiago pulled out a handgun and fired at him, police said.  "After being shot, the victim ran away from the suspect," Officer Jonathan Perok, a police spokesman, …

• Photos (1)