Standoff Ends With Suspect Fatally Shot

An Alexandria woman was shot and wounded about 10:45 a.m. yesterday during a domestic dispute in the Cameron Station neighborhood, and a suspect held officers at bay for hours before apparently shooting and killing himself, police said.

The woman, whom police did not identify, was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital with what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds, Alexandria Police Chief David P. Baker said. When officers responded to reports of gunfire in the 5000 block of Waple Lane, they found the woman outside the house. She was conscious and able to talk, Baker said.

The woman was in serious but stable condition last night, officials said. A child, thought to be about 2 years old, appeared to have been let out of the house safely, police said. Officers closed several streets, and a nearby elementary school was locked down as a precaution.

"Our goal here is to get the person out safely and to protect the community," Baker said shortly after noon. "We'll stay here as long as it takes."

Dozens of officers descended on the scene, including special operations and hostage negotiators. Some had their guns drawn as they quickly secured the area, which is off Duke Street in the southwestern corner of the city.

They quickly evacuated nearby residents and set up a perimeter around the home. Police negotiators had been in contact with the suspect by phone. Police said they thought just one person was barricaded in the house but couldn't be sure.

"You have to be real careful," Baker said about such incidents. "You don't know what kinds of weapons this person has."

With its coffee shop, spa and stately townhouses, Cameron Station is a relatively crime-free neighborhood and "not an area where we have a lot of activity," Baker said.

Police heard a shot from in the house about 10:45 p.m. and broke in. They found a man with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Deputy Chief Blaine Corle.

Officials declined to identify the man or the female victim.

Staff writer Clarence Williams contributed to this report.