suicide

Wakefield High School Football Player Dies

By ARLnow.com

Wakefield logoA member of the Wakefield High School football team has died.

The boy, a junior, was found dead on the roof of his home Friday afternoon, suffering an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

He was a running back on the Warriors football team. Friends and acquaintances are remembering the boy on Twitter, offering prayers and memories of a classmate with an infectious smile.

At this time, ARLnow.com is not identifying the deceased.

If you’re having thoughts of suicide, the Arlington-based CrisisLink hotline is available 24/7, at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Woman Dead After Shooting Self Outside Cherrydale Home

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsA woman is dead after shooting herself in the chest on her front porch.

The incident happened around 3:00 p.m. outside a home on the 4200 block of 22nd Street N. in Cherrydale.

Police were dispatched to the home after receiving a call from the woman’s therapist, who said her patient was making suicide threats. Moments after police were dispatched, the therapist — who was on the phone with the woman — said she heard a loud bang, according to police radio traffic.

Police arrived first on the scene and found the woman unresponsive outside the house. Medics reported that the woman was dead on arrival from a gunshot wound to the chest.

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is a phone call away. Call CrisisLink at 703-527-4077.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Cherry blossoms and Arlington House (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)

New Metro Train Debuts on Blue Line — Metro’s new 7000-series train made its public debut on the Blue Line this morning. Riders welcomed the next-generation rail cars with generally positive tweets. [Storify, Twitter]

Home Prices, Sales Rise — The volume of home sales in Arlington in March was 219, which is up 25 percent year-over-year. Housing sale prices also rose. The average sale price of all residential properties was up 1.3 percent to $628,483. The average price of single-family homes sold in March, meanwhile, was $919,858. [InsideNova]

Arlington to Employ Ebola Monitor — The Arlington County Board this weekend is expected to approve the acceptance of a $30,970 state grant earmarked for Ebola monitoring. “Grant funds will support ongoing monitoring and response coordination efforts for travelers returning from Ebola affected countries,” according to the staff report. “The funding supports temporary employment of a Health District Monitoring Coordinator ($29,400) and related office supplies ($1,570).” [Arlington County]

W-L Grad Dies — A student who graduated at the top of his Washington-Lee High School class in 2013 has been found dead after taking his own life. The student was a sophomore at William & Mary and was active in various theater groups. [William & Mary]

Westover Deaths the Result of a Murder-Suicide, Police Say

By ARLnow.com

Ray Savoy, Jr. and Kristy Flowers (photo via Facebook)(Updated at 5:25 p.m.) Arlington County Police have confirmed that the two people found dead in a Westover apartment yesterday died as a result of an apparent murder-suicide.

Police say the bodies of Kristy Flowers, 31, and Ray Savoy, Jr., 29, were found in an apartment on the 1200 block of N. Kensington Street on Monday afternoon. Officers were called to the apartment to check on the welfare of the residents, who had not been heard from for a couple days.

Police say they believe Savoy shot Flowers, then turned the gun on himself. The two were a couple, lived together in the apartment and posted photos together on Facebook as recently as November.

“Awesome weekend in NYC with my LOVE BUG,” Savoy posted, along with a collection of photos featuring Flowers, on Nov. 22.

“There was no history of domestic violence at this location nor did either resident have any previous domestic violence arrests,” police noted in a press release this afternoon.

“To me, they were like the perfect couple… there was nothing to indicate that he was a violent person,” Kristy’s mother Patricia Flowers told the Washington Post. However, the Post also reported that Savoy “drank a lot and talked of the gun he kept in his car.”

A window was open in the couple’s second floor apartment at the time of the shooting, which is believed to have happened over the weekend. There were no reports of gunshots in the area, despite the presence of several apartment buildings immediately adjacent to and across the street from the scene.

“Officers and detectives have canvassed the area… we find it very unusual that no one reported it,” ACPD spokesman Lt. Kip Malcolm told ARLnow.com.

Flowers is originally from Elyria, Ohio and was studying law at American University, according to social media pages. She worked as an analyst at Reston-based Leidos, the defense contractor formerly known as SAIC, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Savoy’s Facebook page says he’s an Army veteran and a native of Aquasco, Maryland.

Photo via Facebook

Retired Air Force Col. Identified as Man Found Shot in Arlington Nat’l Cemetery

By Ethan Rothstein

Police car lights(Updated at 5:30 p.m.) Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Robert Terrill, 92, has been identified as the man found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday.

Terrill, a Falls Church resident, was declared dead on the scene Friday morning in Section 64 of the cemetery, near the Columbarium Courts, according to a press release. He suffered what was reported by first responders to be a gunshot wound to his head.

Terrill’s wife, Helen Burgess Terrill, who died in 2009, was buried in Section 64. He described himself in a news article after her death as his wife’s “loving soul mate.”

“Although we have not completely ruled it out in order to conduct a complete and thorough investigation, we do not suspect foul play at this point in the investigation,” said Chris Grey, the spokesman for the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command, which is the lead agency investigating the death. Officials said the incident is unprecedented for Arlington National Cemetery.

“The cemetery is not aware of an incident such as this previously happening in the cemetery,” said the press release.

Terrill reportedly served in World War II before being commissioned in 1946. According to an Air Force spokesman, he flew more than 8,000 hours as a command pilot before retiring from his last duty assignment at the Pentagon in 1968.

UPDATED: Man Shoots Self at Arlington Nat’l Cemetery

By ARLnow.com

Police car lights(Updated at 12:40 p.m.) Police are on the scene of a self-inflicted shooting at Arlington National Cemetery.

Initial reports suggest a man shot himself in the head with a shotgun around 10:20 a.m. Paramedics determined the man to be dead on the scene.

The shooting was reported to have happened near the Pentagon Monument in Section 64, within view of the Pentagon at the southeastern corner of the cemetery. The Pentagon Monument is where remains of the victims of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon were buried.

After the man was pronounced dead by medics, the scene was turned over law enforcement for an investigation.

Arlington National Cemetery issued the following press release about the incident Friday afternoon:

At approximately 10:00 a.m. today, first responders to include Military Police from Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and Arlington County Police Department Officers, responded to reports of a single gunshot at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 64, near the Columbarium Courts. Upon arrival, a deceased male was discovered with a single gunshot wound.

“Although we have not completely ruled it out in order to conduct a complete and thorough investigation, we do not suspect foul play at this point in the investigation,” said Chris Grey, the spokesman for the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command, the lead agency investigating the death.

All indications are this is a tragic and isolated incident and there is no threat to the public or those visiting Arlington National Cemetery. The cemetery remains open to visitors and families and graveside services are continuing as planned.

No further information will be released at this time to protect the integrity of the investigative process and until the deceased is positively identified and next of kin is officially notified.

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is a phone call away. Call CrisisLink at 703-527-4077.

Woman Falls from Ballston Building, Lands on Car

By ARLnow.com
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(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) A woman has died after falling from the top of a building in Ballston.

Initial reports suggest that the individual, currently believed to be female, jumped from the top of the Randolph Towers apartment building, at 4001 9th Street N., and landed on a car parked in front of the 9th Street side of the building.

A witness tells ARLnow.com that a man was inside the vehicle when the woman landed on it. He was unhurt but ran out of the vehicle, distraught, we’re told. The vehicle has diplomatic license plates.

The woman left several bags on the roof of the building, according to police radio traffic. Police are investigating the incident as a probable suicide.

A man died after jumping or falling from Randolph Towers in April 2011.

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is a phone call away. Call CrisisLink at 703-527-4077.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Freedom Park in Rosslyn

DJO Senior Hurt in Spanish Train Wreck — Christina Cordoba, a rising senior at Bishop O’Connell High School, is in stable condition with a broken leg after surviving a deadly train derailment in Spain. The derailment killed nearly 80 people, including Cordoba’s mother, Ana-Maria Cordoba, who worked for the Catholic Diocese of Arlington. Cordoba’s father, Philippe, was also injured and is in stable condition. [WTOP, CBS News]

Security Breach at DCA — Nearly two dozen deactivated security badges of former Reagan National Airport employees have not been turned back in, raising serious security concerns. Already, one former employee was arrested for using his deactivated badge to get onto an airplane, according to prosecutors. [NBC Washington]

Virginia Suicides Hit High Mark — Virginia residents are three times more likely to die from suicide than homicide, according to a new report that also found that suicides in the Commonwealth hit a 13-year high in 2011. [Associated Press]

GOP Chief Wants More Community Involvement — The Arlington County Republican Committee is not fielding a candidate for County Board, School Board or House of Delegates this year. Committee chairman Charles Hokanson says the party needs candidates that are deeply involved in the Arlington community if it wants to have a shot at winning a local race. [Sun Gazette]

Photo by Audrey Batcheller

UPDATED: Man Shoots Self Outside Union Jack’s

By ARLnow.com

A man shot himself in the head outside Union Jack's in Ballston A man shot himself in the head outside Union Jack's in Ballston

(Updated at 10:35 a.m.) A 24-year-old Alexandria man shot himself outside Union Jack’s (671 N. Glebe Road) in Ballston last night.

The shooting happened around 1:00 a.m. According to police, the man was having “domestic dispute” with his girlfriend inside the restaurant. He then walked outside, took out a gun, fired several shots in the air, and then shot himself in the head, said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

About 30 people witnessed the shooting, Sternbeck said. At least one bystander attempted CPR.

The man was rushed to the hospital and is currently alive and on life support, in very critical condition. He was not pronounced dead, as earlier reported.

This was at least the second time this year that a major police incident happened at the restaurant. Union Jack’s was the scene of a brawl that resulted in two arrests in February.

Photos courtesy Misty Alvarez

Woman Dies After Jumping from Bridge Over Four Mile Run

By ARLnow.com

A woman died this morning after jumping from the Columbia Pike bridge over Four Mile Run.

Several witnesses saw the woman jump, around 10:30 a.m. She landed on a paved section of the Four Mile Run Trail and was pronounced dead on the scene.

Arlington County Police are investigating the incident as a suicide. The woman was in her 30s and was known to have mental health problems, said police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is a phone call away. Call CrisisLink at 703-527-4077.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Suicide Thwarted at Metro Station — An alert Metro train operator helped to thwart a suicide attempt at the Reagan National Airport Metro station Thursday morning. Around 7:55 a.m., a man climbed down and laid on the southbound tracks. The operator of an approaching train saw the man and stopped the train in time. Transit police apprehended the man and took him to a local hospital. [Washington Examiner]

Park(ing) Day in Rosslyn — Today (Friday) is Park(ing) Day, a day where people worldwide transform parking spots into temporary public spaces. Artisphere in Rosslyn will again be participating. A giant shopping cart, created by artist J.P. Flick, will be placed near the corner of Wilson Blvd and Lynn Street. Passersby are encouraged to donate gently used professional attire by placing it in the cart. The clothes will go to a job placement program run by the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network. [Artisphere]

Retired Educator Receives Community Award — Meg Tuccillo — who for 26 years served Arlington Public Schools as a teacher, a principal, and an assistant superintendent — has been named the 2012 recipient of the William T. Newman Jr. Spirit of Community Award. “The Board was impressed by Meg Tuccillo’s highly regarded dynamic and good-natured commitment to Arlington, both in her professional role as Assistant Superintendent of Arlington Public Schools and in her broad involvement in several nonprofit organizations serving children, families, the homeless and strengthening education and the arts,” said Julian Fore, president of the Arlington Community Foundation, which administers the award. [Sun Gazette]

Va. Flags Half Staff for State Supreme Court Justice — Virginia state flags have flown half staff this week in honor of former state Supreme Court Justice Henry H. Whiting, who died on Sept. 17. Whiting was a justice when the court first upheld the use of DNA evidence in Virginia. The DNA case in question originated in Arlington — the trial of Timothy Wilson Spencer for the 1987 rape and murder of 44-year-old Susan Tucker in her Arlington condominium.

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