Chief says officer fired as suspect kept stabbing son-in-law.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — A Fairfax County police officer shot and killed a man accused of stabbing his wife and adult daughter to death and severely wounding his son-in-law during a violent domestic attack early Monday at an apartment complex in the Mantua area, authorities said.
The confrontation unfolded around 5 a.m. in the 3900 block of Persimmon Circle, where police arrived to find an ongoing knife attack, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said. The officer fired after repeated commands to drop the weapon failed, Davis said. The deaths and the officer’s use of deadly force are under investigation, and police have not yet released the names of those involved or a motive.
Police said the first calls came in shortly before dawn, reporting a domestic disturbance inside an apartment. Davis said the son-in-law had been outside clearing snow from a vehicle when he heard a commotion and rushed back inside. There, he found his wife injured and his father-in-law armed with a large, curved knife. Davis described the scene as a “bloodbath,” saying the suspect was attacking family members as a 1-year-old child was in the apartment. “To describe this scene as bloody is an understatement,” Davis said at a news conference.
Authorities said the suspect, believed to be in his 50s, attacked at least three relatives with a bladed weapon that police described as a long, curved dagger with about a 10-inch blade, resembling a meat cleaver. Davis said the suspect’s wife and daughter suffered stab wounds and later died. The son-in-law, also in his 30s, was stabbed and remained hospitalized in grave, life-threatening condition Monday morning. Police said the couple’s 1-year-old baby was not physically injured during the attack.
According to police, the violence was still unfolding when officers arrived. Davis said an officer witnessed the suspect actively stabbing the son-in-law and repeatedly ordered him to drop the knife. “Our officer gave repeated commands — one after another after another — to drop the knife,” Davis said. When the suspect did not stop and continued stabbing, the officer fired, striking the suspect. Police and medics attempted lifesaving measures, including CPR, but the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, Davis said.
Investigators are now working to reconstruct what happened inside the apartment and what led up to the attack. Davis said there were no known prior calls for service to that residence for domestic violence, though he emphasized that investigators would verify the family’s history and contact records across agencies. Police have not said how many shots were fired, whether body-worn camera footage will be released, or how long the officer had been on the force. Davis said command staff reviewed video from officers’ body-worn cameras and believed the officer acted as trained to prevent further loss of life.
The killings add to a growing list of domestic violence cases that turn deadly with little warning to outsiders, even in homes without a documented history of police responses. Davis said the brutality of the attack was difficult to describe and underscored how quickly a private crisis can become a public emergency. “The damage and the chaos and the carnage that was perpetrated by this man on his own family is unimaginable,” he said. Authorities said a neighbor also called 911 after hearing the commotion from a nearby building, providing investigators another potential account of the timing and sounds heard before police arrived.
Under standard procedure, the officer-involved shooting will be examined alongside the underlying domestic assault case. Police did not say Monday which agency is leading the criminal investigation into the shooting, but Davis said it would be reviewed through the county’s established process for critical incidents. The investigation will typically include interviews with officers and witnesses, review of body-worn camera footage and dispatch recordings, analysis of physical evidence from the scene, and an autopsy report for the suspect. Separate reviews often examine whether departmental policy was followed and whether additional training or changes are needed.
At the apartment complex, police vehicles and crime-scene tape remained in place for hours as detectives documented the interior and exterior of the residence. Residents moved cautiously around the perimeter, some stopping to watch from a distance while officers redirected foot traffic. Davis said the 1-year-old child was safe and being cared for by authorities as investigators worked to reach family members and make longer-term arrangements. Police did not immediately say whether the child was placed with relatives or temporarily in protective care.
Family members and neighbors who gathered near the scene appeared stunned by the scale of the violence. Davis said investigators were still trying to understand what may have been happening inside the home before the first calls for help. “We don’t know yet what turmoil, what strife is happening in their lives,” he said, adding that he could not comprehend what would drive someone to attack relatives in that way. Police asked anyone with information about the incident, including those who may have heard or seen activity in the minutes before officers arrived, to speak with detectives.
As of Monday afternoon, the suspect was dead, two women were dead, and the wounded son-in-law remained hospitalized in critical condition, police said. Investigators said they expect to release additional details after next-of-kin notifications and after medical examiners complete autopsy findings and confirm identifications.
Author note: Last updated February 23, 2026.