Two people and a dog are dead after they were shot in a Dumfries, Virginia, townhouse on Wednesday night.
Prince William County police said an armed man forced his way into a home within the 17400 block of Isle Royale Terrace around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday. He then opened fire, striking 22-year-old Alyssa Trynese Gainey of Woodbridge and 24-year-old Javon Alberto Williams of Dumfries, as well as their dog.
Gainey died at the scene. Williams died of his injuries at a hospital later that morning. The dog, described as a male Pitbull mix, was euthanized due to the severity of his wounds.
According to a news release, the suspect is 24-year-old Woodbridge resident Desmond Malcolm Daniel.
Daniel is said to have fled the scene in a car after the shooting. After the region’s law enforcement agencies were alerted, officers with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department sighted Daniel’s vehicle around 2 a.m. in a short-term parking lot at Dulles International Airport.
Daniel was taken into custody without incident. On Thursday, Daniel was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of using a firearm in commission of a felony, one count of shooting into an occupied dwelling and one count of entering a dwelling to commit murder.
He is being held without bond.
Editor’s Note, Oct. 30, 2023: Desmond Malcolm Daniel pleaded guilty to the charges of two counts of first-degree murder on Oct. 16, 2023. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 14, 2024.