Paul Matthew Zeller, a 24-year-old Arlington resident who had served a tour of duty in Iraq, was fatally shot early Friday morning near the Pentagon Row shopping complex, police officials said.
A little after midnight on Friday, Arlington police officers responded to a report of gunshots and found Zeller dead on the sidewalk of the 1300 block of S. Joyce Street.
Police are unsure of a motive for the killing, and do not currently have any suspects, said police spokesman Matt Martin.
"We just don’t know what the motive was, whether it was an abortive robbery, a person who knew him or a random act of violence," Martin said. "All are possibilities, but we don’t know."
Arlington detectives have interviewed more than a dozen witnesses, who were either on the street at the time of the shooting, or live in nearby apartments.
Late Friday night, officers and detectives conducted an informational
checkpoint near the crime scene during which they distributed nearly 2,000 flyers requesting information from the public.
"We’re looking for as much help from the public as we can get," Martin said.
Detectives are strongly encouraging anyone who was at the scene or who has any information about this incident to call the Criminal
Investigation Division at 703-228-4194 or the Arlington County Police tip line at 703-228-4242.