One man died and two others are hurt after a shooting at a homeless encampment in Woodbridge near a busy shopping center, authorities say. A suspect from Fredericksburg was charged with murder.
The 911 calls started coming in from the Prince William Square Shopping Center on Smoketown Road just after 5 p.m. Wednesday. When first responders arrived, they found one man wounded in the leg and another hit in the hand.
Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now.
WATCH HEREDeep in the woods, in an area dotted with tents, they found a third man was shot and wounded. He was pronounced dead on the scene. The other two men, both 42, were taken to hospitals for injuries not considered life-threatening.
The man who died was Tevon Dean Haskins, of Woodbridge, Prince William County police said. He was 29.
We have the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily.
SIGN UP Dean Campbell, 45, of Fredericksburg, was arrested a day later and charged with crimes including murder, malicious wounding and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Police say the men got into a confrontation at the homeless encampment, the argument escalated and Campbell opened fire. Police told News4 they don’t know the source of the dispute but say the shooting was not random. It was unknown whether the shooting victims lived in the woods or were in the area for other reasons.
Pastor Jesse Jones Jr. runs a Christian bookstore in the shopping center. He had already closed up for the day when the gunfire began.
“I see people going down in the woods often, but I thought they were going through to the other side. I didn’t realize there were tents down there – not until today,” he said.
Jones said he was sorry to hear about violence so close to where people work and shop.
“We don’t carry ourselves like we ought, and if we can change the lives of people, we can save the lives of people,” he said.
The suspected shooter was held without bond and has a court date pending.
