3 Dead, 3 Hurt After Manassas Man Shot Family, Passing Driver: Sheriff

Three people are dead, including a shooter, and three people are seriously wounded after a 21-year-old man turned a gun on his family Wednesday in Manassas, Virginia, and then opened fire on a driver he encountered, officials say.

Asa Ellington Mitchell of Manassas is suspected in the shooting, Prince William County police said. He was 21. 

Eric Mark Mitchell, also of Manassas, was killed. He was 55. The name of the driver killed in the Delaplane area of Fauquier County was not immediately released. 

The shooting in the 10000 block of Ellis Road in the Signal Hill area of Prince William County was reported at about 6 p.m. Responding officers found Asa Mitchell's father, Eric Mitchell, dead in a house on the property. Asa Mitchell's 76-year-old grandmother; his 56-year-old mother, Constance; and 16-year-old brother were found with gunshot wounds in another home.

Asa Mitchell fled in a Toyota Camry to Fauquier County to Delaplane, about 35 miles northwest. The sheriff there said he crashed his car and “encountered a passing motorist.” 

“During the encounter, the suspect shot and killed the other driver” and fled, officials said. 

That driver, Francis Drew, 74, of Markham, was found dead. Deputies later found the shooter dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The two women and teenager who were shot and wounded have serious injuries but are expected to recover. Investigators have not been able to interview them about the shootings.

The Mitchell family has lived in the Manassas home for about a decade. Neighbors said they do not recall any police activity at the home before Wednesday night.

The Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office said the man found dead at the crash site appears to be a random victim and did not know the shooter. The investigation is ongoing.

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.