The quiet of Sunday evening was interrupted by gunfire that left Herndon High freshman Jose Sandoval, 17, dead and a 16-year-old female in stable condition at Reston Hospital.
Jose and the girl were shot in front of a row of townhouses in the 1000 block of Park Avenue, between Ferndale Avenue and Cavalier Drive, at about 9:41 p.m. Jose was later pronounced dead at Reston Hospital.
"It was gang related," said Sgt. Jerry Keys, of the Herndon Police Department. "At this point, we can't verify if he was a gang member. We're still gathering information."
KEYS SAID the police are protecting the identify of the female because "she is the best witness we have."
As of Tuesday, investigators were still trying to find out what may have triggered the encounter between the victims and the suspect. What is known, is that it was not a robbery or a drive-by shooting.
"Some sort of situation came up between the individuals. We're still trying to determine what it was. It does not appear to be a retaliation thing," Keys said. "There have been incidents where gangs thought the other person was a rival gang member and just got the wrong guy."
The police department is not releasing what part of town Jose lived in, in order to protect his family, who Keys described as fearful for their safety.
"THIS USED to be a quiet neighborhood. Now, at night, I don't feel safe," said Jose Andrade, who lives close to where the shooting occurred. "I've lived in Herndon for 18 years. Over the last two to three, there have been a lot of gangs that moved in here."
Andrade said he has seen people associated with Los Angeles-based gangs move into his neighborhood and the crime rate increase.
"There's too much trouble … killing, stealing, nobody feels safe," he said.
"I would have liked to have had that information a month ago," Keys said. "When you see things, if you keep them in the dark, they stay in the dark."
Since the shooting, Keys said neighbors have been calling with concerns about past incidents. In an effort to head off any future tragedy, the police department is holding a meeting Thursday with residents to educate them on how to become more involved and to report any suspicious behavior.
As of January, the Herndon police have generated 2,300 reports of crimes, community concerns, or for general information. Of those, 18 of been classified as gang-related, including reports of graffiti, assaults and the Sandoval homicide.
IN THE MEANTIME, students at Herndon High are remembering their friend.
Tuesday morning, friends of Jose gathered for an impromptu memorial and during the various lunch periods, students streamed out to the rock to pay their respects.
"The rock at Herndon has become a traditional place where kids gather for good and not so good reasons," said Jan Leslie, the school's principal. "It's become a rallying point. His friends painted the rock and put flowers around it."
The school system brought in additional counselors for students Monday, while the school's on-site counselors were available Tuesday for any students who needed someone to talk to. Leslie said the students have been handling themselves "appropriately and are remembering their friend."
In addition, the Fairfax County Police has increased its presence at the school, in addition to the full-time school resource officer, who is also a county police officer, as a precautionary measure, Leslie said.
"They're here just in case something has been [kept] quiet [in regards to the events that led to the shooting] and to show the community they're here to protect us," said Leslie, who did not request the extra protection. "There's been no violence or threats of violence."