By Clarence Williams
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 19, 2009

An unidentified man was found fatally wounded yesterday evening in an alley of a quiet Old Town Alexandria neighborhood in a case that offered few early clues, city police said.

Police and fire department rescuers responded about 6 p.m. to a report of an assault in the 600 block of North Payne Street. The area is about two blocks east of the Braddock Road Metro station and six blocks north of King Street.

Authorities found a man suffering from trauma to his upper body, said Deputy Chief Blaine R. Corle of the Alexandria Police Investigations Bureau. The man was taken to Inova Alexandria Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Officials are investigating the case as a homicide, Alexandria's second this year, Corle said. An autopsy is expected today to determine the cause of death.

The body was found in a secluded spot behind a three-story apartment building and a mix of recently built rowhouses and older homes. Police and neighbors said the area is usually quiet, with few incidents of major crimes.

"The serious crime is way down in this area. This is very much the exception," Corle said.

Nearby streets often are used as pedestrian corridors, particularly for residents walking to the Metro station.

Investigators described the man only as between 20 and 40 years old.

Many neighbors said they didn't hear or see signs of trouble until the police cars and firetrucks arrived.

Tamara Talbert, 35, said she heard only the music in her home until she took her toddler outside to see the firetrucks.

"It's just sad that it had to happen, and it was in broad daylight," Talbert said. "I just hope and pray whoever did it gets caught."