3 teens arrested in connection to deadly 2024 triple shooting, Alexandria Police say
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Alexandria police announced on Monday that three people have been arrested in connection to a deadly triple shooting that took place in September 2024.
Police Chief Tarrick McGuire said the three individuals were all juveniles, ranging in age from 16 to 17 years old at the time of the shooting that claimed the life of one man, and left another man and a teen injured.
"What's most concerning about this incident is that today I have to stand before our community and say that we are charging three juveniles with murder," McGuire said. "It's not a proud moment.
The backstory:
The gunfire erupted around 8:15 p.m. on Sept. 19 near the 1300 block of Wythe Street, near the Braddock Road Metro Station in Alexandria. One of the victims, 25-year-old Kwakia Frazier, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
Police say the other 46-year-old man was injured in the shooting and a 15-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet and received medical treatment at the scene.
Police say after months of investigation and with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), they were able to connect the suspects to the shooting.
What we know:
According to officials, the suspects are at various jails in the area and were already in custody for unrelated violent crimes. The ATF says they were able to use a system of matching shell casings to connect the suspects to the deadly incident.
RELATED: 1 man dead, 1 teen grazed by bullet following a triple shooting in Alexandria
"When a projectile is expelled from a firearm – discharged – the scene casings have unique characteristics. Almost as unique as a fingerprint," Samuel Ward, assistant special agent in charge of ATF Washington Field Division said.
Ward says using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), law enforcement takes high resolution 3D images to compare shell casings collected at the scene of one crime to shots fired from weapons at other crime scenes. Using this process, they can match shell casings, connecting crimes that they might not have been able to otherwise if they were committed in different jurisdictions.
Officials say multiple stolen firearms were used and there is a possibility that they could be connected to other cases. Chief McGuire said the shooting appears to have been targeted, although the motive is not fully clear.
What they're saying:
"It was a purposeful act of gun violence that occurred," Chief McGuire said. "Based on them being purposeful in their action, I do believe they were seeking to target that particular location."
The suspects have been charged with murder by mob, malicious wounding by mob and possession of a firearm in the commission of a crime.
"This crime was planned, it was deliberate and it was violent," Assistant Police Chief Raul Pedroso said.
The police chief took time at the end of Monday's press conference to encourage residents to safely store their firearms to avoid them being stolen or falling into the wrong hands. He says Alexandria PD has taken nearly 200 guns off the streets in the past two years.
The Source: Alexandria Police Department