An Alexandria man is facing multiple charges following a non-fatal shooting in the Groveton area, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
Rusbel Alberto Argueta, 19, of Alexandria, is charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and discharge of a firearm within 1000 feet of an elementary school.
Officers responded to a shooting on the 7200 block of Fairchild Drive, which is about a four-minute walk from Hybla Valley Elementary School, around 7:04 p.m. on Tuesday (July 28), FCPD said in a release. They found a man with a gunshot wound to the upper body; officers provided assistance until the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department arrived.
The man was taken to the hospital in life-threatening condition and is still hospitalized, according to FCPD.
“Preliminarily, detectives determined the victim and the suspect were involved in a verbal argument when the shooting occurred,” police said in the release.
Argueta was arrested shortly afterward and taken into custody; a second individual was charged with drunk in public. A gun was found nearby, police said.
According to court records, Argueta is scheduled to appear in Fairfax County General District Court Sept. 29 for a preliminary hearing. The malicious wounding charge is a class 3 felony, so if Argueta is convicted, he faces anywhere from five to 20 years in prison.
