Shots Fired at Officers: Teen Suspect in Custody Suffers Minor Injuries, Police Say

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FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- Fairfax County Police have a suspect in custody after they say he fired shots at police officers in a Franconia neighborhood Wednesday afternoon.

Police initially asked neighbors to "remain indoors" and again, at about 7:25 p.m. said: "Residents on Larkspur. Although the situation has been resolved, we kindly ask that you remain inside as the crime scene is processed."

Here's a timeline of events:

• Police were called to a home on Larkspur Drive shortly before 5 p.m. for a "suspicious event," with "the possibility of guns involved."
• As officers were arriving, the Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC), was on the phone with an occupant of the home who was apparently experiencing some sort of distress, police said. When officers approached the home, someone inside the home fired shots in the direction of the officers. Nobody was hit, police noted.
• A perimeter was established around the home and neighbors were advised to remain inside their homes, police said. DPSC sent a reverse 911 and the situation was broadcast via social media. The incident was declared a barricade and SWAT was called in.
• Crisis negotiators, the police helicopter (Fairfax 1) and K9 also responded.
• Franconia Road was shut down in both directions from South Van Dorn Street to Beulah Street for the protection of passing motorists and residents, as well as to facilitate the police operation.
• DPSC continued to have periodic telephone communication with the suspect inside the home.
• Shortly after 6:15 p.m., the suspect exited the home, armed with at least one handgun. He was given verbal commands to surrender but he initially refused.
• Less-lethal force was deployed in the form of a beanbag round from a police shotgun. At the same time, a police canine was released and apprehended the suspect.
• The 19-year-old suspect was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. There were no injuries to other residents or officers.

Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Chief of the Fairfax County Police Department, addressed the public from the Franconia District Police Station shortly after the incident. It was streamed live on the FCPD Facebook page and can still be viewed there: https://www.facebook.com/fairfaxcountypolice

The scene was likely tense in the neighborhood, after police said in a message posted to Twitter at about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday that residents nearby should "go to their basements" or to the "lowest areas in their homes."

Fairfax County Police were on the scene of the "shots fired" situation in the 6200 block of Larkspur Drive (see map below) just as the evening commute started.

The shots came from inside a home on the street, but none of the officers were hit, according to police.

Patch will update as new information becomes available.