UPDATED: Police fatally shoot man outside of Tysons Corner Center

(Updated at 10 p.m.) A man has died after being shot by police outside of Tysons Corner Center mall.

Frantic police radio transmissions went out around 6:30 p.m., for mall-based Tysons Urban Team officers following a suspect in the parking lot outside of Bloomingdale’s. The suspect then reportedly entered the woods along Fashion Blvd, after which officers radioed that gunshots had been fired.

The man was brought to the Fairfax County Police Department’s attention by a loss prevention officer who reported that there was a theft in progress earlier this evening, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said in a 9 p.m. media briefing.

When the loss prevention officer led police to the person believed to be a suspect, the man fled, and two FCPD officers — one in uniform and one in plainclothes — chased him out of the mall, according to police.

“Probably a quarter of a mile or so later, the suspect approached a small wooded area, a small patch of trees and brush,” Davis said. “The suspect ran into that area. Our officers continued to chase him into that area, and at some point in time, our police officers…discharged their firearms.”

Davis said the man was hit at least once, though the number of shots fired haven’t been confirmed yet.

Police say the man received “immediate” medical attention after being shot in the chest. He was transported to a hospital, where he died, the FCPD said at 8:19 p.m.

Fashion Blvd was closed to traffic between Leesburg Pike and Tysons One Place. A police helicopter is flying overhead.

No police officers were injured, Davis confirmed. He said the scene will be blocked off into the morning, as police search for potential evidence.

While there’s no indication so far that the man was armed or fired any shots, Davis didn’t rule out the possibility that he may have had a weapon.

“We want to make sure that if anything was discarded, we have an opportunity to identify and discover it,” he said.

Davis said he couldn’t identify the man yet beyond confirming that he was an adult and male, but he’s apparently “well known” to law enforcement in the D.C. region

“His encounters with local law enforcement in the National Capital region span many years, and it’s a violent criminal history,” he said, though he didn’t share any details of that history or regarding the reported theft.

Tysons Corner Center has been rocked by public safety scares over the past year, most notably a shots-fired incident on June 18 that prompted a panicked evacuation. Noah Settles, a 23-year-old D.C. resident, pleaded guilty to four felony charges stemming from the shooting earlier this month.

The mall was also evacuated in August after shoppers mistook a light fixture shattering for gunshots. A police investigation of a robbery in Arlington on Dec. 19 and a robbery at Elite Jewelers on Jan. 1 also set off rumors of gunfire that turned out to be unfounded.

Davis noted that no stores were closed tonight.

“We know how important this location is to many people, and that’s why our public safety commitment here is so robust,” Davis said. “We have 16 police officers that are assigned full-time to our team here. They work every day, around the clock to ensure this location remains…an absolute safe destination for shoppers, for people going to dinner, for people consuming entertainment.”

FCPD officers shot at least four people last year, two of them fatally. A dog was also shot and killed during a SWAT raid in Herndon in December.

NEWS PHOTO: @roryfgilmartin https://t.co/FO6me2qg6e pic.twitter.com/15LtvVy1Fd

— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) February 23, 2023

I was in my car when I saw multiple cops chase someone in the wooded area and heard the police officer scream out “POLICE STOP” and a few moments later heard atleast 7 rounds get unloaded

— QuailMan (@QuailM4n) February 23, 2023

#Breaking Officers are in the area of Fashion Blvd in McLean for an officer-involved shooting. Preliminarily, one man was shot in the upper body outside the mall & taken to hospital w/injuries considered life-threatening. No officers injured. Avoid the area. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/Y0wr0IHQYk

— Allison Papson (@AllisonPapson) February 23, 2023

Hat tip to Alan Henney