Falls Church police are investigating a “suspicious death” in the back parking lot of a shopping center.
A Latino man was found with an apparent gunshot wound to the head around 11:15 last night, after police received several calls from people who heard gunfire. The body was discovered in the parking lot of the shopping plaza between East Fairfax Street and Hillwood Avenue. A gun was found near the body, police said.
Arlington Fire Department personnel assisted at the crime scene.
An Air Force officer was hit by a car around 5:35 p.m. today in Pentagon City.
It happened underneath the I-395 overpass on 12th Street South, near South Clark Street. The victim, a man approximately 30 years old, was conscious but suffering from a head injury when first responders arrived on scene.
A witness saw the man fly across the street after being hit by an older model Honda or Toyota. Other military personnel rushed to his aid after the accident.
The driver, a woman, stayed on the scene. Her car’s windshield was smashed, the witness said.
Earlier today, in a separate incident first reported on our Twitter feed, an 88-year-old man was struck by an SUV as he tried to cross West Broad Street near North Washington Street in Falls Church. He’s now in intensive care at Inova Fairfax Hospital.
The man was not in a crosswalk and no charges have been filed, according to the Falls Church News-Press.
An imam from Falls Church gave a blessing at the state Capitol in Richmond today, despite protests from groups accusing him of being a “terrorist sympathizer.”
Del. Adam Ebbin (D), who represents part of Arlington and Falls Church, invited imam Johari Abdul-Malik of the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center to give today’s opening prayer.
Groups including the Virginia Anti-Shariah Task Force and the Traditional Values Coalition protested, citing Abdul-Malik’s comments about due process for Muslims arrested on terror charges, along with his mosque’s brief link to two of the 9/11 hijackers. In the past, Abdul-Malik has spoken out against violence and terrorism.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement about the protests.
“We cannot let a vocal minority of hate-mongers deny American Muslims their constitutionally-guaranteed right to take part in the political process,” said Corey Saylor, the group’s national legislative director.
Abdul-Malik delivered the prayer around noon today. Del. David Englin (D), who represents part of south Arlington, said on Twitter that he “enjoyed” the blessing, adding that it was “very well done.”
In an earlier statement, Abdul-Malik said: “My hope is that from this gathering we will all get know each other and build new bridges of understanding, no matter how much some narrow-minded people dislike it.”
The City of Falls Church and the Washington Area Music Association are hosting the 24th annual WAMMIE awards at the State Theater (220 N. Washington St., Falls Church) this coming Sunday. In addition to the main event, Falls Church is holding a number of “meet and greet” pre-parties at local eateries.
The pre-parties run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The list of parties, with the genres of music being played at each location, after the jump.
A huge brawl broke out in the parking lot of a Falls Church nightclub early Monday morning, prompting a frantic call for backup from the first police officers on the scene.
Officers from Falls Church and from Arlington and Fairfax counties swarmed the parking lot after the call, which came in around 12:30 AM. Responding officers disbursed a crowd of several hundred people, according to Maj. Mary Gavin of the Falls Church Police Department.
An officer was assaulted during the scuffle and suffered minor injuries, but did not require hospitalization, Maj. Gavin said. There were no arrests.
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