A man was fatally shot in south Reston this morning (Wednesday), prompting an extensive police search for another man believed to be the suspect.
Fairfax County police officers were dispatched to the 12300 block of Fan Shell Court in the Cocquina Cluster around 11:49 a.m. after a 911 caller reported that his mother had arrived at the house and found it to be “a mess,” suggesting a possible break-in, according to scanner traffic.
A caller later reported that somebody was shooting a gun inside the home.
“The caller’s advising she heard six gunshots, nothing else heard since then,” a dispatcher said at 11:52 a.m.
Police entered the home around 12:28 p.m. and found an adult man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, per scanner traffic. He was declared deceased at the scene.
The Fairfax County Police Department announced at 2:51 p.m. that a man identified as 23-year-old Marvin Fernando Morales-Ortez has been taken into custody as the alleged suspect. The gun believed to have been used in the shooting has also been recovered.
🚨Suspect in custody!🚨
Officers took the suspect into custody and recovered a firearm on scene. Detectives continue to investigate. Available updates will be posted on our blog https://t.co/PBMfNnSkey pic.twitter.com/rleSl9twhe
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) December 17, 2025
In a media briefing held shortly before that announcement, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said police were in the process of obtaining an arrest warrant for Morales-Ortez, who’s believed to have fled the home on a bicycle before ditching the bicycle and leaving the area on foot.
The home where the shooting occurred was Morales-Ortez’s last known residence, Davis said. While the victim’s identity hasn’t been confirmed yet, he appears to be a resident of the house, and police believe he and the suspect were known to each other.
“There is a familiarity at least between the two,” Davis said.
Out of “an abundance of caution,” Hunter Mill Elementary School and Dogwood Elementary School were both placed in “secure the building” status as police searched the area, FCPD Assistant Chief Brooke Wright said.
A Fairfax County Public Schools spokesperson says a total of five schools in Reston were placed on “secure the building” status in response to the police activity, meaning students and staff were kept inside the schools.
“For those schools close to dismissal, the Superintendent has directed that dismissal be delayed until deemed safe to do so by police,” the FCPS spokesperson said. “We continue to work in close partnership with Fairfax County Police.”
An array of resources were deployed to support the search, including a drone unit, the Fairfax 1 helicopter, K9 units and the FCPD’s Real Time Crime Center.
Jared Serre contributed to this report
