The Fairfax County Police Department released the names of two officers who fired their weapons and shot a reportedly armed man in Falls Church on Dec. 17.
Fairfax County Police Chief Ed Roessler Jr. identified the officers as Master Police Officer Lance Guckenberger and Police Officer First-Class Matthew Grubb in a statement issued on Friday (Jan. 8).
Guckenberger is a 20-year Fairfax County police veteran, and Grubb has been with the department for 18 years. They are both members of the department’s special operations division, according to Roessler.
The officers were among those who responded to a teenager’s report that he had been shot by a man in an apartment in the 2000 block of Peach Orchard Drive in Falls Church. After attempting to negotiate with the man, police entered the apartment, and there was reportedly an exchange of gunfire.
Guckenberger and Grubb “discharged their firearms at Myer to end his imminent threat to the sanctity of all human life present at the event,” Roessler said in his statement.
The teen and the man, who has been identified as Falls Church resident Glenn Allen Meyer, were both transported to a local hospital and survived their injuries.
Meyer was released from the hospital on Dec. 19 and charged with aggravated malicious wounding. He is currently being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
Fairfax County policy requires police officers who use potentially deadly force to be publicly identified within 10 days of the incident unless the police chief determines “there is a credible threat to the safety of those involved or if additional time is required to thoroughly complete the risk assessment process,” the FCPD says.
The department said on Dec. 26 that Roessler needed more time to finish a risk assessment “to make an informed decision regarding the release of the involved police officers’ names.”
The criminal and administrative investigations into the Falls Church shooting both remain ongoing.
Second Dead Capitol Police Officer Was Madison Alumnus — The Capitol Police announced on Saturday (Jan. 9) that officer Howard Liebengood had died — reportedly by suicide — after being on the scene when a mob breached the U.S. Capitol last week. Liebengood attended Vienna’s James Madison High School in the 1980s and participated in the school’s wrestling team. [The Washington Post]
Fairfax County Libraries Return to Curbside Service Only — “Effective Monday, Jan. 11, all Fairfax County Public Library branches will provide curbside and virtual services only. Please stay home if you’re sick, if you’ve been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or if you’re awaiting your own COVID-19 test results.” [Fairfax County Public Library]
Bowlero to Move into Former Macy’s at Tysons Galleria — “Bowling alley operator Bowlero plans to open its fifth location in Greater Washington this November at Tysons Galleria…The new location will house 36 bowling lanes, more than 70 arcade games, a full-service kitchen, sports bar and audio-visual capabilities including hi-definition video screens above the bowling lanes.” [Washington Business Journal]
Construction on New George Mason High School Nearly Complete — “The new school set to replace the old George Mason High School in the City of Falls Church will be opened in the coming weeks, but in-person learning may not be allowed despite a recently announced reopening plan.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Fairfax County Requests Flexibility and Funding from State — During a public hearing on Jan. 9, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay told the county’s General Assembly delegation that localities need the flexibility to determine their own priorities as they try to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. [WTOP]
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
(Updated 5:05 p.m.) Police in the Town of Vienna were kept busy this week responding to reports that ranged from a political protest to ketchup-related vandalism.
The Vienna Police Department’s crime round-up for the week of Dec. 30 to Jan. 7 states that officers responded to “group of people protesting political issues in the street and on the sidewalk in front of a residence” on DeSale Street NW at 7:28 p.m. on Jan. 4.
While the report does not provide any additional details, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday (Jan. 5) that protestors had gathered outside the home of Republican Sen. Josh Hawley to decry the Missouri senator’s plan to object to Congress’ certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
Hawley had accused the protestors of vandalism and threats against his family on Twitter, but Vienna police described the scene as peaceful. The group dispersed when informed that they were violating local laws against picketing in front of a house, littering, and noise, according to the AP.
In a more innocuous event, police were summoned to the Historic Vienna Train Station (231 Dominion Rd.) on the morning of Jan. 4 when a Town of Vienna employee reported seeing “a red liquid on the south wall” of the station.
“It was determined that someone squirted ketchup on the wall,” the VPD says. “There was no permanent damage to the wall.”
Photo via Google Maps
Vienna Police Move into New Temporary Home — With construction on a new station set to begin soon, the Vienna Police Department relocated to the former Faith Baptist Church at 301 Center Street on Jan. 7. Operations and responses haven’t been affected by the move, but the department is taking non-emergency calls at 703-255-6366. [Vienna Happenings]
Mosaic District to Add Dutch Snack Outlet — Poffy will serve traditional Dutch mini pancakes called poffertjes that are often prepared by street vendors. Owner Lilian Wanandy-Perez hopes to open the store in May or June, depending on the permitting process. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Golf Training Center Opens in Tysons — “GOLFTEC Tysons Corner, a golf instruction and club fitting center, has opened in Tysons. Located at 1430 Spring Hill Road, Suite 102, McLean, the 2,500 -square-foot facility offers golf lessons for a variety of individual needs.” [Patch]
Tysons IT Company Receives Acquisition Proposal — DXC Technology confirmed on Jan. 7 that it received an unsolicited, preliminary and non-binding proposal from Atos SE to acquire all DXC shares. The company’s board of directors will be evaluating the proposal. [Business Wire]
Home Sales in McLean Were Up in 2020 — “Year over year, there has been marginal improvement in the number of home sales with a total count of 1,249 in 2020 compared to 1,219 in 2019. Compared to one decade ago in 2010, there is significantly better news as sales are up 39 percent over that time frame.” [Connection Newspapers]
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
Officers with the Fairfax County Police Department have been deployed to Washington, D.C., as part of a region-wide emergency response to far-right extremists who have stormed the U.S. Capitol, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay’s office confirmed to Tysons Reporter.
Fairfax County has also opened its emergency operations center to Virginia State Police.
Earlier this week, McKay advised county residents to avoid visiting downtown D.C. as several right-wing groups planned to hold demonstrations to protest Congress’ scheduled certification of the November 2019 general election results.
Fairfax County police previously said they did not anticipate needing to assist D.C. authorities in managing the demonstrations. Like other law enforcement agencies in the D.C. region, the county has a mutual aid agreement in place for situations where additional help may be needed.
McKay’s full statement is below:
What is happening in Washington D.C. right now is nothing short of a coup. This is a dark day in American democracy and I am personally sad and angry. I’m hopeful residents of the county heeded our advice to stay home today.
We have deployed members of our police department and opened our emergency oerpations center ot Virginia State Police. Let us pray for their safety as well as the safety of the innocent people impacted. Our democracy will not be destroyed by violent, lawless mobs.
I’m in constant communication with County officials to ensure we provide as much help as possible and also protect our communities in Fairfax.
Photo via Sherry Xu on Unsplash
Fairfax County is seeking public input on the characteristics, skills, and values it should prioritize in selecting its next police chief.
Conducted by the search firm Polihire, the community survey asks respondents to share their thoughts on the most important public safety issues facing the county, the police department’s relationship with the citizens it serves, and the experience and skills that they expect from a police chief.
Available in English and Spanish, the survey has been open since mid-December, but this Friday (Jan. 8) is the deadline for contributing. The county is encouraging all residents and businesses to participate.
The survey is part of a nationwide search that Fairfax County hired Polihire to conduct after current Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. announced on Nov. 5 that he will retire in February.
The community engagement portion of the search process will also include focus groups with key community organizations, according to the county.
Photo via FCPD
Vienna Police Respond to Republican Senator’s Report of Vandalism and Threats by Protestors — “Officers were called to [Missouri Sen. Josh] Hawley’s home in Vienna, a Washington suburb, around 7:45 p.m. after someone reported that there were “people protesting in front of the house.” Officers who responded to the scene found that the “people were peaceful,” said Master Police Officer Juan Vazquez, a spokesman for the Town of Vienna Police Department.” [Associated Press/WTOP]
VDOT Schedules Meeting on American Legion Bridge Transit Recommendations — “After draft transit recommendations for the Interstate 495 American Legion Bridge Transit and Transportation Demand Management study were shared, a virtual public meeting will be held on Jan. 12.” [Patch]
Fauci to Hold Virginia Town Hall on COVID-19 Vaccine — “Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will speak about the COVID-19 vaccine during a virtual Friday afternoon event co-sponsored by Gov. Ralph Northam’s office, the state health department and faith leaders from around the state.” [Inside NoVA]
Local Students Named to Statewide Honor Choir — “Twenty-four Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students from 13 high schools have been named to the 2020 Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA) Senior Honors Choir. This group will present a virtual concert in March at a time and date to be announced.” [FCPS]
Staff Photo by Jay Westcott
Fairfax County police will not send officers to D.C. to assist with the First Amendment demonstrations set to take place tomorrow, police department spokesperson Sergeant Greg Bedor confirmed to Reston Now, Tysons Reporter’s sister site.
The region is anticipating thousands of Trump supporters to descend on the region to protest Wednesday’s Congressional certification of the presidential election. Since November, the president has made numerous unproven claims that the election was stolen.
Over the last several weeks, he’s also repeatedly encouraged supporters via social media to protest on January 6. One such tweet in December said, “Be there, be wild.” He even said he would be there himself.
Previous rallies in November and December both ended in violence, particularly after sunset.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay issued a statement yesterday advising residents to avoid the downtown area and to not engage with people potentially looking to incite violence. Arlington County has also disencouraged residents from going to D.C. to counter-protest.
Fairfax County police, along with a number of other local jurisdictions, have traditionally had mutual aid agreements in place with D.C. police, in case situations arise where help is needed.
However, Bedor says that he does not expect FCPD to be called into D.C. tomorrow. “The [D.C.] Mayor has arranged for other support, so our understanding [is] that’s been covered,” he says.
That other support is a reference to the D.C. National Guard being activated to provide traffic control and crowd management.
The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.
We’ve searched the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean, and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!
Wednesday (Jan. 6)
- Wolf Trap Virtual Job Fair (Online) — 4-6 p.m. — Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts will hold a virtual job fair for people who might be interested in its open usher and maintenance positions for the 2021 performance season. Register for the webinar in advance with this link.
- McLean Police District Town Hall (Online) — 5 p.m. — The McLean District Police Station will hold a virtual town hall to discuss the Fairfax County Police Department’s new data dashboard, which provides information on arrests, citations, and department policies. The meeting can be accessed through this Zoom link, and questions can be sent to [email protected].
- General Assembly Town Hall (Online) — 7-8 p.m. — State Sen. Dick Saslaw and Del. Marcus Simon will give a preview of what to expect from the Virginia General Assembly’s upcoming 2021 session, which will convene on Jan. 13. Questions and comments can be submitted in advance through this link, and a link to the Zoom chat can be found on the City of Falls Church website.
- Hunter Mill COVID-19 Town Hall (Online) — 7 p.m. — Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn is hosting a virtual town hall with Fairfax County Health Department Director Gloria Addo-Ayensu to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and local vaccine distribution plans. Questions should be sent in advance to [email protected] with “Jan 6. Town Hall” in the subject line. The meeting can be accessed through WebEx and will be streamed on YouTube.
Thursday (Jan. 7)
- The New Yorker Discussion Group (Online) — 2-3 p.m. — The Mary Riley Styles Public Library hosts a talk about Joshua Rothman’s article “What If You Could Do It All Over?” from the December 2020 issue of The New Yorker. Contact Pete Sullivan at [email protected] for the Zoom invite or more information.
- A Song and a Slice: Civic Duty — 8 p.m. at Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E) — The D.C.-native rock band Civic Duty will perform at Jammin’ Java in Vienna. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with tickets costing $7 for general admission or $10 for the lobby. Customers are asked to adhere to social distancing protocols and wear masks when not consuming food or drinks.
Friday (Jan. 8)
- Teen Game Night — 7-9 p.m. at the Old Firehouse (1440 Chain Bridge Rd.) — Teens can come to the Old Firehouse Center in McLean to play board and party games with chances to win prizes. Admission is $20 for McLean Community Center district residents and $25 for everyone else. MCC recommends pre-registering by contacting the OFC at 703-448-8336 or online.
Saturday (Jan. 9)
- More to the Movement (Online) — 10 a.m. — Library of Congress American women’s history specialist Elizabeth A. Novara will give a presentation on women of color in the suffrage movement to the McLean area branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) for its January meeting. All are invited. Email AAUW McLean for the Zoom link.
Photo via Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts/Facebook
Potentially Icy Sidewalks and Roads Pose Hazards — “Temps near or below freezing combined with recent rain may cause ICY spots on roads and sidewalks this morning…Motorists and pedestrians should use caution this morning!” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department/Twitter]
Fairfax County Seeks Input on Fairfax Connector Future — “The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is beginning outreach on the 10-year Transit Strategic Plan (TSP) and is seeking input from county residents…The TSP incorporates outreach results from short-term, sub-area studies that are being conducted in Herndon/Reston, Franconia-Springfield, Centreville/Chantilly/Vienna/Tysons and Huntington.” [Sun Gazette/Inside NoVA]
McLean District Police Recover Car Reported Stolen — “Officers stopped a 2016 Acura RDX which had been reported stolen. The driver, Chesterfield Stewart, 21, of Maryland, was taken into custody. A gun with an altered serial number was located inside the SUV. Stewart was charged with receiving stolen goods and alteration of a weapon serial number.” [Fairfax County Police Department]
Fairfax County Prosecutor Makes Major Sentencing Reforms — “Prosecutors in [Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve] Descano’s office will stop using mandatory minimum sentences in plea deals, and charging people who commit minor offenses with felonies. And that’s just the start.” [WTOP]
How the Vienna Foodies Grew Into a Movement for Good — “Over a year ago, Vienna VA Foodies was started as a Facebook group celebrating Vienna’s restaurants. Today, it has become a community effort to help restaurants, thank first responders and assist people in need.” [Patch]
Staff Photo by Jay Westcott
