One U.S. Park Police officer fatally shot another in Tysons yesterday (Sunday), leading to an involuntary manslaughter charge.
Fairfax County police officers were called to an unintentional shooting in the 1700 block of Old Meadow Road — the Scotts Run area — at 12:20 a.m. When they arrived at the apartment, Jesse Brown Hernandez, a 22-year-old McLean resident, was found dead with “a gunshot wound to the upper body,” according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
Based on a preliminary investigation, police say an off-duty Park Police officer identified as 25-year-old Alexander Roy from McLean “was attempting to dry fire” his gun.
“Dry firing is when one simulates the discharge of a firearm by pulling the trigger of a firearm that is unloaded,” the FCPD said in a news release. “Roy unintentionally shot the firearm he believed to be unloaded, fatally striking Hernandez.”
Police believe alcohol played a role in the shooting.
There were a total of four people in the apartment at the time of the shooting, three of them off-duty Park Police officers, including Roy and Hernandez, according to the FCPD.
Roy has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and is currently in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.
The Park Police said it was aware of the shooting but directed questions to the FCPD, which is conducting the investigation.
“Our focus right now is on supporting the family, friends and coworkers of our employees involved in this tragic incident,” the agency’s press office said in a statement. “USPP has nothing further to share at this time.”