Updated at 9:05 p.m. — An arrest has been made in this afternoon’s fatal shooting at Gold’s Gym in Reston, Fairfax County police announced on Twitter, stating that additional information will be shared tomorrow (Wednesday).
Earlier: A man was killed in a shooting this afternoon at the Gold’s Gym in Reston.
Police were dispatched to the gym at 11830 Sunrise Valley Drive in the VY Reston Heights apartments at 1:13 p.m. after people called 911 reporting that they’d heard gunshots, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
“All we have is an individual in a dark shirt who’s going out of the gym,” an officer said. “One person’s been shot. We currently have officers with the injured person.”
An adult man was taken to a local hospital with injuries considered life-threatening, the Fairfax County Police Department said at 1:34 p.m. The man ultimately died at the hospital, Capt. Kent Bailey, the FCPD’s public affairs bureau commander, announced in a media briefing around 4:10 p.m.
As many as five to six shots were fired, per the police scanner, but Bailey said he could only confirm that the victim had suffered trauma to the upper body.
Based on a preliminary investigation, police believe both men were working out at the gym “when our suspect approached our victim in a targeted stance and shot him,” Bailey said.
“We’re still trying to identify the relationship and motive behind it,” he said, stressing that the shooting is believed to be “an isolated, targeted incident.”
Officers, including a K9 unit and the Fairfax One helicopter, responded to the scene. A witness reported seeing the suspect headed northbound on Reston Parkway, an officer reported at 1:19 p.m., though there were conflicting reports regarding whether the alleged shooter left the gym through the front or rear door.
There are multiple elementary schools just over a mile away from where the shooting occurred, though they weren’t scheduled to release students until 3:35 p.m. at the earliest.
“Our schools in the area have safety measures in place but are not currently under lockdown,” a Fairfax County Public Schools spokesperson said.
The search for the shooter remains underway. Detectives are expected to remain in the area into this evening, Bailey said, advising anyone with information about the case to contact the FCPD Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800.
Gold’s Gym relocated to Sunrise Valley Drive from Plaza America in December.
Preliminarily, suspect is described as an Asian man, 25-30 years old, wearing glasses, a black shirt, black pants, and a large swing bag. Last seen fleeing the area on foot toward Reston Pkwy. Call 911 w/ info.
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) August 20, 2024
Screenshot via Google Maps
