Fire Fatality in a Hotel Room
On March 15, at 7:23 a.m., Fairfax City and County Fire and rescue units were dispatched to a reported fire with a victim reportedly trapped at 9865 Fairfax Blvd., in the City of Fairfax. Units arrived on the scene at 7:27 a.m. to find heavy smoke and fire showing from a one-story hotel complex. A second alarm was requested to bring additional resources to the scene. Crews initiated an aggressive attack of the fire quickly knocking down the bulk of the fire and made entry to find a 35-year-old female deceased in the hotel room. Smoke detectors and hotel staff alerted and safely evacuated other nearby guests. No additional civilian injuries were reported. The medical examiner’s office identified the victim as 35-year-old Megan Shuman, from Sterling. The victim’s next of kin have been notified. The medical examiner’s office will determine the exact cause of death. The hotel management is working to relocate approximately 25 guests to other properties. The origin and cause of the fire is under investigation.
Man Receiving Mental Health Evaluation after Barricade
A 41-year-old man is being evaluated after a 2-hour barricade situation ended early March 14. Officers were initially called to the 2800 block of Hunter Road for the report of an armed suicidal man who had discharged a round from his firearm around 11 p.m. the previous night.
Patrol officers isolated the area and negotiations began while crisis negotiators and SWAT officers responded to the scene to continue with the de-escalation efforts. A couple of hours into the event, the man ignored commands to surrender peacefully and exited his home armed with a firearm. The man presented a deadly force threat to the officers. During this confrontation, an officer assigned to the Special Operations Division with 10 years of service, deployed deadly force in the form of one round from their assigned weapon, which did not hit the man. Officers also deployed less-lethal force in the form of an Electronic Control Weapon, bean bag rounds, and a .40mm foam projectile. Officers were then able to safely take him into custody. He had minor injuries and was taken to the hospital to be evaluated, and was expected to be transferred to a mental health facility. Charges are possible.
According to FCPD, Major Crimes Bureau is conducting a criminal investigation into the deployment of deadly force. When this investigation is complete, the findings will be presented to the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fairfax County. Additionally, the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau is conducting an administrative investigation in accordance with policy. The Police Auditor for the County of Fairfax will monitor the ongoing investigations, and will conduct a review of the investigations when they are completed.
The involved officer is on routine administrative leave while the investigations are being conducted. The Chief of Police, Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., will provide additional updates within the next 10 days in accordance with prescribed policies.