Two Dead in Old Town Shooting

Two men were shot to death on the northern edge of Old Town Alexandria today shortly after 2 a.m., police said.

The men, whose names were withheld pending notification of their families, were the second and third people slain in Alexandria this year.

Alexandria police said shots were reported in the 800 block of North Patrick Street about 2:15 a.m.

Officers found two men in the street, suffering from gunshot wounds. Both were taken to area hospitals and pronounced dead.

A total of five murders were committed in Alexandria last year.

In normally quiet Alexandria, "it's very unusual to have two people murdered" in a single incident, said Amy Bertsch, an Alexandria police spokeswoman. "It's been 15 to 20 years since our last double murder."

North Patrick Street is the stretch of Route 1 that runs northbound through the city, through several subsidized housing complexes. The street was closed by police until shortly after 7 a.m. so the crime scene could be examined for evidence.

No motive for today's double slaying has been determined, police said, and no one has been arrested. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Alexandria detectives at 703-838-4711.