Teen Charged In April Shooting At Carnival At Gar-Field High School

WOODBRIDGE, VA — A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with an April 2022 shooting at a carnival at Gar-Field High School, the Prince William County Police Department said.

The shooting injured a 14-year-old girl, who was not the intended target, police said. She was flown to a hospital after the shooting, but her injuries were not life-threatening.

Police have not identified the suspect by name, due to a Virginia law that protects the identities of minors. He is charged with malicious wounding, possession of firearm by a juvenile, discharging a firearm while on school property, discharging a firearm in a public place resulting in bodily injury. His court date is pending and he is being held at the Prince William County Juvenile Detention Center.

Officers who were working the carnival responded to reports of gunshots around 9:22 p.m. on April 15. According to police, two groups of people had left the carnival and started fighting in the parking lot. During the altercation, multiple shots were fired, police said.

The sound of the shots caused groups of people to scatter from the carnival, which was held in the parking lot of Gar-Field High School.

The suspect was already in custody on unrelated charges, the police department said.