Fairfax County police are investigating the death of a 83-year-old man who was found fatally shot in the backyard of his Lorton, Virginia, home.
The victim has been identified as Johan De Leede.
Police received two different 911 calls just after 1 a.m. Friday. De Leede's wife called 911 from the couple's home in the 6000 block of River Drive in the Mason Neck area, telling the dispatcher that her husband had been shot.
The second call came from a neighbor's house. The caller reported hearing gunshots in the area.
Neighbors later told News4 they heard four or five gunshots, then a pause, followed by several more.
When officers arrived, they found De Leede wounded in the backyard of the couple's home. He had multiple gunshot wounds.
Responders started CPR and transported De Leede to an area hospital, where he died.
A preliminary investigation indicates that De Leede was inside the home when he was shot several times, Fairfax County police said Friday afternoon.
The first officers to arrive to the scene discovered a broken window at the home near De Leede's body, according to police audio.
No arrests have been made yet. Police are still searching for a suspect or motive.
"It's just shocking, shocking. Things like this don't happen here," one resident told News4's Megan McGrath.
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Jennifer Deem, one of De Leede's neighbors, described him as an active man.
"He snow skied, split wood. He worked in his yard every day. He was an amazing man," Deem said.
Neighbors said De Leede had several children and grandchildren, that he'd retired from the World Bank years ago, and that he and his wife were long-time residents of the community.
One neighbor, Faith Chudzik, said she and her husband had known De Leede for more than two decades. She was struggling to understand why anyone would want to take his life.
"I just can't imagine it. I just absolutely can't imagine it," Chudzik told News4's Meagan Fitzgerald. "...He was always happy. He was a charming person. I never saw him ever upset about anything."
Deem said she's always felt safe in the neighborhood.
"I walk the dog at night; I walk the dog early in the morning in the dark," she said. "I never worry about anything, but a fox, maybe."
Anyone with information that can help police is asked to contact Crime Solvers online at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org, text a tip to TIP187, call 866-411-TIPS (8477), or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.
