Neighbor Finds Discharged Round In House, Leading To Standoff

ASHBURN, VA — Loudoun County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested a man Thursday after a four-hour standoff at his house after deputies responded to a gunfire complaint in the area. Bernard R. Ofori, 30, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and reckless handling of a firearm. Ofori is being held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center in Leesburg on no bond.

Sheriff's deputies responded to the 20200 block of MacGlashan Terrace around 8:40 a.m. Thanksgiving Day morning. A resident reported finding a discharged round from a firearm had entered their home through a shared wall with the suspect's residence. The incident is believed to have occurred during the overnight but was not discovered until Thanksgiving Day morning.

As Loudoun deputies attempted to make contact with Ofori he became disorderly and refused commands by the deputies to exit the home, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. Several residents in adjacent homes in the Belmont Greene community of Ashburn were evacuated as a precaution. The residents were taken to Belmont Station Elementary School for safety.

Members of the sheriff’s office's crisis negotiations team established contact with Ofori who was seen carrying a firearm inside the home. After continued conversations, the subject exited the home and was taken into custody.

Along with the Crisis Negotiations Unit, members of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Section, the Criminal Investigations Division and K-9 Unit responded to the scene and secured the area.