(Updated at 3:25 p.m.) A man is in custody and a woman is dead after an early morning stabbing in Virginia Square.
The grisly incident happened around 5 a.m. at Terwilliger Place, the recently built apartment building on the American Legion Post 139 site at 3445 Washington Blvd.
Police were called for a stabbing at an apartment that had a history of domestic violence calls, according to initial reports, then arrived to find a horrific crime scene in a hallway and an unresponsive, critically injured woman.
The man was arrested by officers in the lobby, according to scanner traffic. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police were still on scene investigating as of 8 a.m. This is the second reported homicide in Arlington so far this year, after one in the Buckingham neighborhood in March.
Arlington County police issued the following press release about the homicide this afternoon.
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is announcing the arrest of a suspect following an investigation into a domestic-related homicide in Ballston-Virginia Square. Alimamy Fornah, 35, of Arlington, VA has been charged with Murder.
At approximately 4:58 a.m. on June 19, police were dispatched to the 3400 block of Washington Boulevard for the report of a stabbing. The preliminary investigation indicates the victim and suspect were inside their shared apartment when they became involved in a verbal dispute, during which the suspect stabbed the victim resulting in lacerations. Responding officers located the critically injured victim in the hallway of the residential building and immediately attempted lifesaving measures before she was pronounced deceased on scene. The suspect was located in the building and taken into custody without incident. He was transported to an area hospital for treatment of injuries considered non-life threatening.
The victim has been identified as Shontae Crawford, 37, of Arlington, VA. Cause of death will be determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
This is the second homicide in Arlington County in 2023. This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected] or anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.
A man of the same name and approximate age as Fornah was arrested in 2013 and charged with abducting a then-26-year-old woman and her young son from a preschool in Prince William County.
CONTINUED: The preliminary investigation has not revealed an ongoing threat to the public. Police remain on scene investigating.
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) June 19, 2023
@ARLnowDOTcom lots of police activity on Washington Blvd. Sounds like a death of some sort. pic.twitter.com/kkBEyPxm3k
— Mike Pham (@logistixz) June 19, 2023
Breaking: Since 5:00 am, @ArlingtonVaPD & @ArlingtonVaFD have been handling a reported multiple stabbing in an apartment building at 3445 Washington Blvd., west of Kirkwood. Video is of first #police arriving. @ARLnowDOTcom #crime pic.twitter.com/mtJIiofohR
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) June 19, 2023