A man shot and killed his mother and nephew before killing himself in a domestic standoff that left two officers injured from a shootout, police said.
Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler said at a news conference on Oct. 22 that officers were called Monday night to a home in Wicklow Drive, Burke in northern Virginia.
The mother called 911 to report a domestic disturbance after a family member had threatened her with a gun, according to a police statement.
Chief Roessler said the 911 dispatcher heard shots fired and alerted officers.
Roessler said several officers formed a “ballistic shield” as they tried to enter the home from a rear deck.
The officers were confronted by the gunman who fired a shotgun at the officers. Shrapnel deflected off the shield and injured two of them.
“The shield did what it was designed to do, and I thank God for that,” Roessler said.
When officers did enter the home, they found the mother and nephew dead from gunshot wounds and the gunman was dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
One officer returned fire after they confronted the gunman, but Roessler said it was unclear if the officer who fired at the gunman struck him as well.
Roessler also said the officers’ injuries are not considered life-threatening.
An officer sustained non-life threatening injuries while on-scene of the barricade in Burke. A gunman remains barricaded in a home with an unknown number of occupants inside. Involved parties believed to be known to each other. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/fnxkjtDzRU
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) October 22, 2019
“Our Victim Services staff are supporting the victim families and our community members and our Incident Support Services staff is supporting all of our brave officers,” Roessler said in a statement.
“It’s important to note the trauma all have been exposed to in this tragedy and we continue to pray for all involved as they recover for the rest of their lives,” he continued.
Update to shooting investigation in Burke #FCPD #FairfaxCounty https://t.co/4BRg3pNxIt pic.twitter.com/9GPRhSzA62
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) October 22, 2019
Police say a medical examiner will perform autopsies.
Authorities did not immediately release the identities of the three adults or the injured officers.
NTD staff contributed to this report.