Fairfax County police are investigating last week’s murder of a local teen. He was identified as Anthony Isai Benitez, 18, of Fairfax. Police say he died, Friday night, Feb. 19, following a shooting in an Annandale apartment complex. A juvenile was also injured during the incident.
Officers responded shortly before 11 p.m. to the 4100 block of Wadsworth Court in Annandale, after receiving a report of a person who’d been shot. When officers arrived, they discovered Benitez in the apartment complex parking lot.
According to police, he was suffering from gunshot wounds to his upper body. Life-saving measures were attempted, but Benitez was pronounced dead at the scene by fire-and-rescue personnel.
In a nearby apartment, officers also found a juvenile male who had sustained gunshot wounds to his lower body. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for his injuries and later released.
Preliminarily, detectives have determined the two victims were outside an apartment building when a group of people approached and then began shooting at them. Multiple cartridge casings were found in the parking lot, and several vehicles and a building were damaged as a result of the gunfire.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Benitez and, on Saturday, Feb. 20, ruled his death a homicide. This tragedy is still an active investigation, and detectives are continuing to conduct interviews and process evidence.
Police are urging anyone with information regarding this incident to call the Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 2. Tips may also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone, 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477); by text, type FCCS plus the tip to 847411; and via the Web at http://www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org/. Or download the mobile tip411 app, “Fairfax Co. Crime Solvers.” Tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100-$1,000 for information leading to an arrest.