Alexandria police increase presence as school year ends

With schools wrapping up for the summer, some police departments are taking precautions. That includes in Alexandria, where a fight among teens turned deadly in May of 2022. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal has the details on how Alexandria police plan to prevent the violence.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - With schools wrapping up for the summer, some police departments are taking precautions.

That includes Alexandria, where a fight among teens turned deadly in May 2022. It happened at the Bradlee Shopping Center, and 18-year-old Luis Mejia Hernandez was stabbed and killed.

Now, a little more than one year later, the Alexandria Police Department is working to make sure something similar doesn’t happen again. The department has announced increased patrols at the shopping center and elsewhere as the school year comes to an end.

"People do have some type of trauma built up. A lot of the store owners are like, ‘Oh my God, it’s the end of the year,’" Public Information Officer Marcel Bassett said Thursday. "It’s not a punitive measure. It’s just heavier police presence; making sure they see us, making sure we’re visible, making sure we’re interacting."

Some other jurisdictions are taking action, too. In D.C., for instance, police said they’ve increased patrols near some schools.

Bassett explained there’s no set end date for Alexandria’s initiative, which he added also includes the support of community organizations.