‘Mom, Did You Hear That?': Barrage of Gunfire Rattles Alexandria Neighborhoods

This week in Alexandria, Virginia, started with three instances of violence that left some residents rattled.

At the busy Bradlee Shopping Center, gunfire was heard, though no one was hit. A clerk was shot in the leg during a robbery at a 7-Eleven. And just a block from the Braddock Metro station, more gunfire had residents ducking for cover in their homes.

Resident Sheila Frazier said she heard the shots.

“My daughter said, ‘Mom, did you hear that?’ And I say, ‘Yeah, it seemed like, what, 10, 11 times that they shot?’” she recalled.

A similar barrage of gunfire in the area in September sent bullets flying into homes and vehicles.

Alexandria police said at a council meeting on March 28 that crime had climbed in several categories. The prevalence of guns was cited as part of the reason.

“Robberies are up 30 percent. Robberies are up because guns are used in those robberies,” Assistant Chief Easton McDonald said.

Police are seeking funding to pilot a new strategy: They want to deploy gunfire detection technology. Already used in D.C. and 150 other cities, the devices record and report gunfire within 60 seconds, helping police respond more quickly.

“It’s not going to end it, but it will allow us to have a starting point and allow us to respond at a faster rate,” McDonald said.

Alexandria arrested three people in connection with Monday’s shooting near the Metro station, and one person for the gunfire at the shopping center.

A woman whose daughter lives near the Metro station said she worries about the uptick in gun violence and thinks the detection technology could help.

“The whole gun issue to me is, you have to try something,” Diane Brody said.

Resident Mary Ward said more frequent police patrols are also needed.

“We should live like we’re supposed to live,” she said — without the fear of frequent gunfire.