FCPD: Man and teenager face murder charges in West Falls Church shooting

A 19-year-old Falls Church resident and an unidentified 17-year-old have been charged with murder after a shooting in West Falls Church last fall led to the death of 73-year-old Nelson Alexander Sr., Fairfax County police announced today (Monday).

Timothy Kashawn Bradshaw Robinson served as the “getaway driver” in a “botched robbery” at a Wells Fargo walk-up ATM in the 2900 block of Annandale Road, according to Fairfax County Police Department officials.

The 17-year-old suspect, who police say shot Alexander, is being held on unrelated criminal charges in a Baltimore County jail. The Fairfax County Police Department is currently working to get him extradited and anticipates charging him as an adult.

“We’re not identifying the 17-year-old shooter, because he’s not certified as an adult. We anticipate he will be,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said at the press conference.

According to police, Alexander stopped at the ATM around 5:20 a.m. when Robinson, who was 18 at the time, drove up in a Nissan Murano that had been stolen in Alexandria earlier that morning.

Surveillance video shows the teenager, who was 16 at the time, approaching Alexander and shooting him once in the chest, according to Davis. Alexander died from his injuries in a hospital on Oct. 23.

The fatal encounter came at the tail end of “a night of crime” that Robinson and the teenager allegedly spent breaking into vehicles around the D.C. area, FCPD Major Crimes Bureau Chief Maj. Ed O’Carroll said.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority security cameras captured the pair riding a Metrobus earlier that night accompanied by a third man, who was not involved in the shooting, according to the FCPD.

Police say they were able to identify and track the suspects using the Metro footage and “numerous” tips from the community. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) offered a $10,000 award for information in the case.

In addition to WMATA police and the ATF, the investigation involved law enforcement from D.C., Howard County, Prince George’s County, Arlington County, Loudoun County, and the cities of Alexandria and Fairfax.

“It’s normal to thank partners who assist. I’ve never mentioned so many, and I’ve been doing this for a while,” Davis said. “So, this was really a regional effort that extended beyond the national capital region and into the DMV.”

Robinson was arrested on Friday (April 8), a day after detectives obtained warrants for felony murder and robbery resulting in the death of another person, according to Davis. He is currently being detained at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

The 17-year-old has been charged with felony murder, robbery resulting in a death of another person, and the use of a firearm in the event of a felony. He’s currently charged as a juvenile, but that’s expected to change once the extradition from Baltimore County is complete.

Several members of Alexander’s family were present at today’s press conference. Kendra Johnson, his niece, noted that his birthday passed just a few weeks ago. He would’ve been 74 now.

“He was just a great man,” Johnson said. “…We loved him, and we appreciate everyone who worked on this case, and we ask that everyone continue to pray for us.”