Fairfax County police officers wounded, suspect dead in shooting following traffic stop

A man was shot dead by police in Fairfax County, Virginia after he opened fire and wounded two police officers following a traffic stop.  

The Fairfax County Police Department officers initiated the traffic stop in the 4000 block of Majestic Lane on Wednesday afternoon, the department wrote on X. The officers were conducting traffic enforcement with a radar gun when the suspect’s car zoomed past, FCPD Chief Kevin Davis said at a news conference.

The driver braked abruptly and was immediately hostile with the officers, Chief Davis said. He refused to provide a name or a form of identification, and let the officers know that he had a gun. 

The first two officers involved in the incident, neither of whom have been publicly named, asked the suspect to stop reaching for his gun. When one of them tried to stop him, the suspect got the gun out and opened fire on the two officers, who were standing by the driver’s side door.

A third officer on the scene standing on the passenger side of the car then shot the suspect.

The two officers who were shot were hit in their elbows and went to the hospital for their injuries. The gunman, a 36-year-old who lives in the area and was not identified by police, died of his wounds at the hospital.

Chief Davis said he had reviewed body camera footage.

“I’m certain that these officers are lucky to be alive. I’m certain that they were fired upon by a gunman whose intention was to kill them. And I’m certain that the bravery exhibited by the third officer on the scene ultimately saved their lives,” he said.

The body camera footage will be released within 30 days, Chief Davis said, with the suspect’s identity being released once his family has been notified.