A man was killed in a stabbing Sunday afternoon inside an Alexandria church, authorities said.
Bisrat Shaga, 35, was charged with malicious wounding, according to court documents.
Police said they found the 38-year-old victim in the 2700 block of Dewitt Avenue in the Del Ray neighborhood at around 4:27 p.m. The only church in that block is the One God in Christ Apostolic Church.
Shaga told police he wrestled with the victim who was attacking him, according to court documents.
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The man died at the scene, according to the Alexandria Police Department (APD). His identity was not immediately released.
Police tracked down Shaga a little less than a mile away.
“APD has a suspect in custody and there is no ongoing threat to the public,” the department said.
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The arresting officer reported that Shaga, “has mental health issues...paranoia about social media.” He told the officer this was an assassination attempt on him and “when I run someone uses social media to tangle my legs,” according to court documents.
Shaga knew the victim from church, court documents said.
Neighbors told News4 they were shocked to hear of a killing at a church in their area.
“It’s a very safe neighborhood, so there’s kids walking around in the evening time, and it’s a very family-oriented neighborhood. So definitely nothing like this has ever happened,” neighbor Ilia Karas said.
“It’s hard to kind of put into words, knowing that someone lost their life so close to home,” Katie Waynick, president of the Del Rey Citizens Association, said.
A person at the church declined to comment on the investigation.
