Woman Fatally Shoots Armed Man At Her Woodbridge Home: Police

WOODBRIDGE, VA — A 44-year-old woman shot an armed man who was wearing a mask and approaching her from the side of her Woodbridge house early Thursday morning, the Prince William County Police Department said Thursday.

Officers arrived at the home, in the 4100 block of Hoffman Drive in Woodbridge, around 12:25 a.m. Thursday and found the man, Azhar Laurent Smart, 20, of Triangle near the doorway of the woman’s residence suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers also located a loaded handgun in the man’s possession.

The Prince William County officers performed CPR on Smart until rescue personnel arrived. Smart was transported to an area hospital where he later died from the gunshot injuries.

The woman told police that she was leaving her house when she saw the masked man with a handgun approaching her. The woman was not injured in the incident.

“At this time, detectives from the Homicide Unit are actively investigating the incident to determine why the man was at the residence and are seeking to speak to anyone who may have been present around the time of the incident,” the Prince William County Police Department said Thursday in a news release.

After consulting with the Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the shooting of Smart was ruled to be justified based on self-defense and therefore no charges will be placed against the woman, the police said.

At this time, the incident does not appear to be random, although more information will be released when available, the police said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Prince William County Police Department tipline at 703-792-7000, or submit a webtip to: pwcva.gov/policetip.