Two women were found dead in an apartment near Manassas.
The incident occurred on Porters Ridge Lane, in the Portsmouth neighborhood, behind Global Food, near Manassas.
Police discovered the bodies inside an apartment at 5:12 a.m. Both victims succumbed to gunshot wounds, sparking an investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths, according to initial information from county police.
Authorities swiftly moved forward with the case, resulting in an arrest made in Shenandoah County. Reports indicate that the suspect, in an attempt to flee the crime scene, resorted to carjacking a passerby’s car. However, their flight was short-lived as their vehicle malfunctioned while driving through Shenandoah County.
Law enforcement officials have emphasized that the incident does not appear to be random, indicating that there may be underlying motives behind the shootings.
Nine people have been shot and killed in Prince William County so far this year.
More as we have it.
Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth ruled a fatal police shooting at a union worker training center justified.
An independent criminal investigation into the shooting and the moments that led up to shots fired on Feb. 13, 2024, an alteration began in a classroom inside the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). In this apprenticeship training center, several students had assembled for a class.
In a seemingly unprovoked attack, the suspect, Philip Austin Brant, 26, of Woodbridge, approached one victim, identified as a 23-year-old Fairfax man, and pulled a knife from a backpack before repeatedly stabbing the victim. The other students present inside the room dispersed as the victim attempted to separate from Brant, who continued the attack.
At one point, Brant exited the classroom where he encountered and repeatedly stabbed a second victim, 23-year-old Elijah Islam Safadi of Manassas, in a hallway. As officers arrived, Brant moved to the front entrance lobby of the building, where he eventually encountered officers who shot him, according to details released in a March 28, 2024, police report.
The initial stabbing victim collapsed inside the classroom where the altercation began, while Safadi exited the building before collapsing in the parking lot. Emergency crews rushed both to area hospitals with multiple stab wounds, where Safadi died from his injuries. The surviving victim suffered critical injuries.
The investigation was conducted by the regional Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), which is comprised of investigators from multiple law enforcement agencies in Northern Virginia. No members of the Prince William County Police Department were involved in the investigation led by CIRT.
Police said they knew the man who shot and killed a man outside a Dumfries club.
On March 24, 2024, Prince William police detectives identified the suspect sought in connection to the fatal shooting of Carvell Jarmain Williams, 38, of Warrenton, outside Club Tempo located at 17650 Possum Point Road in Dumfries on March 23.
While investigating the incident, detectives identified the suspect and obtained arrest warrants. Preliminarily, the investigation revealed the two parties were known to one another and that the accused and victim were possibly involved in an altercation in the parking lot when the victim was fatally shot, police said.
Police have located the suspect. Detectives continue to actively investigate the incident and ask anyone with information regarding this case or the whereabouts of the accused to contact police.
The suspect is Jonathan Montile Middleton, 37, of the 100 block of Eustace Road in Stafford, police said.
He’s described as black, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 240 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He’s wanted for murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Prince William County police at 703-792-6500 or submit a tip online at pwcva.gov/policetip.
Police found the body of a woman in a trash truck in Lake Ridge after she didn’t pick up her child from daycare.
On Thursday, March 21, at 8:49 p.m., officers responded to a residence located in the 12200 block of Stevenson Court in Lake Ridge to investigate a missing person.
The investigation revealed family members were concerned over the welfare of the victim, Taty’ana Zakiyyah Cooks, 30, who had not picked up her child from daycare.
During the investigation, detectives learned the victim’s vehicle was being driven by an acquaintance of the victim, later identified as the accused, in Newport News and that the victim’s belongings were still inside her Lake Ridge home.
On March 22, detectives were looking for the missing woman and stopped at a trash truck. Inside, they found the woman’s body.
Additional evidence was discovered which indicated the accused was involved in the victim’s death.
Following the investigation, detectives obtained a murder warrant for the accused, identified as Brendon Devon White, 28, who was located and arrested by Newport News and charged with murder. He’s now in jail.
A Warrenton man was shot to death outside a club in Dumfries.
Today, March 23, at 2:08 a.m. Prince William police were called to Club Tempo, 17650 Possum Point Road, where they found 38-year-old Carvell Jarmain Williams suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers provided first aid to the man, who was taken to an area hospital and later died from his injuries.
Two vehicles in the parking lot were also struck by gunfire. No other injuries were reported.
No suspects have been located at this time. Detectives are actively investigating the incident to determine what led up to the shooting. They are seeking to speak with anyone who witnessed the incident or has information to aid in the investigation.
Preliminarily, the incident does not appear to be random.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Prince William County police at 703-792-6500 or submit a tip online at pwcva.gov/policetip.
“[We wanted to allow] those kids who grew up and had a dream to be a police officer,” State Senator Jeremy McPike (D) WFTF Radio. “And what happened was the governor just crushed those kids’ dreams.”
“Peter Newsham, Chief of Police for Prince William County, also advocated for McPike’s bill. He said his jurisdiction is the most diverse part of the state and having Spanish speakers, let alone DACA recipients, on staff can help reach communities that are afraid to speak to cops.”
Police said an 82-year-old man was maimed after a drunken driver collided with him in the street.
On Tuesday, March 12, at 7:55 p.m., police were called to Coverstone Drive and Aaron Lane near Manassas to investigate the crash.
The driver of a 2012 Nissan Pathfinder, later identified as the accused, was turning left from Coverstone Drive onto Aaron Lane when the vehicle struck an 82-year-old man who was attempting to cross the street, police said.
Emergency crews took the victim to an area hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries. The accused fled from the initial scene before striking a 2013 Toyota Camry in the area of Sudley Manor Drive and Williamson Boulevard, leaving the car on its side.
The accused fled on foot before being located a short distance away and detained without incident. The accused and two occupants in the Camry were transported to an area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
On March 18, officers obtained arrest warrants for Miguel Angel Urquilla Cordova, the accused. According to a press release, the suspect left the hospital before police obtained arrest warrants. Now, they’re searching for him.
The suspect lives in the 7000 block of Margate Court, off Coverstone Drive, near Manassas. He’s described as Hispanic, 5 feet 11 inches tall, 180 pounds, with black bushy hair and brown eyes, and is unshaven.
He’s wanted for two counts of felony hit and run, one count of maiming while DUI, one count of failure to yield to a pedestrian, one count of reckless driving, and one count of no operator’s license
Identified:
The Pedestrian was identified as an 82-year-old man from Manassas.
The driver of the 2013 Toyota Camry was identified as a 26-year-old man of Manassas The passenger of the 2013 Toyota Camry was identified as a 28-year-old woman of Centreville.
All suffered injuries that appeared to be non-life threatening. Police did not disclose additional information about the maiming victim’s injuries.
Henrico County police modified its response to specific service calls and how they are dispatched.
“In the past, our patrol officers have routinely been put in positions or responded to calls for service where they have no legal authority. At times, this has prevented our officers from responding to other priority calls in a timely and efficient manner while also leading to a lack of units available to respond to any given call,” said Henrico Police Chief Eric English in a YouTube video.
Call types where you will see changes include:
- Animal calls (all animal calls placed overnight will be handled the next morning)
- Loud parties or noise complaints (only calls that appear to be violating the county’s noise ordinance will be dispatched)
- Medical emergencies (only if police are needed)
- Service calls (calls about people standing in a street median or homeless people who “appear to be OK”).
- Shoplifting (past-occurred crimes or reports with no evidence to support the allegation)
- Abandoned vehicles
- Marijuana use (calls for marijuana use inside someone’s home)
- Juvenile problems (not crime-related, such as calling a police officer to scold a child)
- Panhandling
The changes have come as police departments across the U.S. have struggled to fill vacant police officer positions since 2020. We asked police agencies in our area if they anticipate making similar changes.
“We offer residents an online or telephone option to file a report, which we can refer people to if needed,” said Prince William police 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok. The agency patrols Virginia’s second-largest county. He declined to comment on Henrico County’s new policy.
“Rest assured, we do not anticipate changing how we respond to calls anytime soon,” added Fredericksburg Police spokeswoman Sarah Morris. The agency services the independent city of nearly 28,000 people between Stafford and Spotsylvania counties.
The Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney, Amy Ashworth, has announced the successful prosecution of Isaiah McGriff in connection with the July 2022 murder of a woman in Woodbridge. On March 12, 2024, a Prince William County jury found McGriff guilty of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The case, Commonwealth of Virginia v. Isaiah McGriff, was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Commonwealth Attorneys Kathleen Bilton and Dircia Schubert.
On July 1, 2022, police responded to a shooting at 13990 Jefferson Davis Hwy (Longview 7-Eleven) in Prince William County, where they discovered the victim, Claudia Morataya, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound to the abdomen. An investigation revealed that Isaiah McGriff, the defendant, was present outside the 7-Eleven that night, along with the victim and others, drinking and socializing before the shooting occurred. A verbal dispute ensued between the victim and the defendant, culminating in the victim throwing a beer bottle at McGriff. McGriff was heard making threatening remarks before later shooting the victim in nearby woods, a press release notes.
The firearm used in the homicide was recovered at a nearby apartment, where McGriff was known to stay. McGriff denied being present near the 7-Eleven during an interview with detectives, but evidence, including footage from a doorbell camera at the apartment building, placed him in the vicinity shortly after the homicide.
McGriff’s sentencing is scheduled for July 25, 2024, before a Prince William County Circuit Court Judge. Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth expressed gratitude for the extensive investigation conducted by police detectives, which provided crucial circumstantial evidence for the case. She commended the prosecutors, Kathleen Bilton and Dircia Schubert, for their dedication in securing justice for Claudia’s murder.
McGriff had several previous charges in Prince William County before the murder, including a robbery at home in 2019, which a judge tossed out.
The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney also acknowledged the essential support provided by Kristen Marek, Deputy Director of the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Victim/Witness Program, to the victim’s family. Recognition was also given to the diligent efforts of the Prince William County Police Department detectives and officers involved in the case.
