A Fairfax County police officer shot and killed a man accused of stabbing members of his own family inside a Northern Virginia apartment early Monday, authorities said, an attack that left the man’s wife and adult daughter dead and his son-in-law in grave condition.
Police said officers arrived while the assault was still unfolding and fired after the suspect refused repeated commands to stop and drop a bladed weapon. The killings and the police shooting are now under investigation, with detectives trying to pin down what sparked the violence and reviewers examining the officer’s use of force. A 1-year-old child who was inside the apartment was not physically hurt, police said.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said the first 911 call came shortly after 5 a.m. as the region dealt with winter weather. The caller, a man in his 30s, lived in the apartment with his wife, their 1-year-old child and his wife’s parents, Davis said. The man told police he stepped outside to clear snow from a car and heard a disturbance inside, then ran back in and found his wife suffering from stab wounds, Davis said. He then saw his father-in-law attacking the mother-in-law, Davis said. “The damage, the chaos, and the carnage that was perpetrated by this man in his 50s on his own family is unimaginable,” Davis said at a news conference.
Davis said a second 911 call came from a nearby resident who heard commotion, adding to the urgency for first responders. Two officers arrived within minutes and went to the apartment, he said. Inside, police say, the suspect had turned his attack toward the son-in-law, who was trying to intervene. One officer saw the suspect actively stabbing the son-in-law and issued multiple commands to stop and drop the weapon, Davis said. The suspect did not comply, and the officer fired, Davis said. Officers then tried to save the suspect’s life, including CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, Davis said.
Police said the suspect used a long, curved blade with an estimated length of about 10 inches. Davis described it as resembling a dagger and said it was similar in shape to a meat cleaver. The suspect’s wife and adult daughter were critically injured in the attack and were taken to a hospital, where they later died, police said. The son-in-law was also taken to a hospital and underwent surgery, Davis said, and remained in grave condition Monday. Authorities did not immediately release the ages of the victims or the suspect’s name, saying family notifications were still underway and the investigation was in its early stages.
Police said the 1-year-old child was found inside the apartment and was not injured. Medical personnel checked the child, Davis said, and the child was then placed with Child Protective Services while investigators worked to locate relatives who could provide care. Davis said that piece of the response became an immediate priority once the scene was secured, because officers were faced not only with a violent crime scene but also with a small child in the home who needed protection, medical attention and a safe placement while detectives worked the case.
Investigators were still trying to understand what led up to the attack. Davis said police had not found prior calls for domestic trouble at the residence, though detectives were continuing to review the family’s background and any prior contact with law enforcement. He said investigators also were looking at the hours before the stabbing, including whether there were arguments, warning signs or other events that could help explain why the suspect attacked his family members. “We don’t know yet what turmoil, what strife is happening in their lives,” Davis said, adding that he could not imagine what would drive someone to attack family members in that way.
Authorities said they were interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence from inside the apartment as part of a homicide investigation that now includes the officer-involved shooting. Police said they were documenting the scene, photographing and mapping evidence, and working with medical examiners and forensic specialists. Officials did not say Monday whether the suspect had a criminal record, whether investigators suspect mental health issues, or whether any other weapons were involved. They also did not say whether the victims had tried to flee or whether neighbors heard more than shouting before the police arrived. Those details remained unknown as investigators continued to gather statements and review recordings.
The police shooting will be reviewed alongside the killings, Davis said, a standard process after a fatal officer-involved shooting. He said he had already viewed body-worn camera video and believed the officer acted as trained in a life-threatening situation with an active assault in progress. Police did not identify the officer who fired, and they did not say whether the officer was placed on administrative leave, a step that is commonly used while reviews are completed. Officials also did not specify how long the review might take, saying investigators would continue gathering medical and forensic reports and evidence from the apartment to establish a precise sequence of events.
The incident unfolded in the Mantua area of Fairfax County, a suburban community with apartment complexes and residential streets near major commuter routes into Washington. Residents described seeing emergency vehicles in the dark early hours and police tape cordoning off parts of the complex as officers and detectives worked. Davis said the neighborhood’s pre-dawn quiet was broken by sirens and radio traffic as police and rescue personnel arrived. He credited the second 911 caller with helping alert officers as the attack was underway and said the son-in-law’s actions helped bring police quickly to the apartment, though he stressed how dangerous it was for the man to rush inside. “So he hears some type of commotion and rushes back into the apartment and is confronted by a bloodbath,” Davis said.
Authorities said the case raises both criminal and administrative questions that will move on parallel tracks. Detectives will work to establish what happened inside the apartment, who was attacked first, and whether any events earlier in the day or week help explain the violence. At the same time, reviewers will evaluate the officer’s decision to fire, including the timing of commands, the threat posed to the injured man, and the immediate conditions inside the apartment when officers entered. Police said such reviews typically draw on body-worn camera video, witness statements, physical evidence, and expert analysis of the encounter.
Officials also said they will continue to update the public as identities are confirmed and relatives are notified. Police did not provide information on funeral arrangements or services for the victims, and they did not discuss whether family members elsewhere in the region had been contacted. Davis said investigators were focused Monday on ensuring accurate notifications and on the condition of the son-in-law, whose survival remained uncertain. Authorities did not say whether the daughter who died lived in the apartment or was visiting, and they did not provide details on the mother-in-law’s injuries beyond the account that she was attacked during the incident.
Domestic assaults that escalate to homicide often leave investigators sorting through intensely personal details, including family dynamics, financial stress, medical issues, and conflicts that may not be visible to neighbors or co-workers. Davis said police were still at the beginning of that process and cautioned against drawing conclusions while detectives collect records and interview people who knew the family. Police said they will also rely on autopsy results and hospital findings to confirm causes of death and the nature of injuries, as well as forensic testing on the weapon and any blood evidence recovered at the scene.
By late Monday, detectives remained at the apartment complex while officials planned next steps for surviving relatives and the child. Police said the investigation would continue in the coming days with interviews, evidence analysis and review of video. The next milestone is the expected release of confirmed identities once notifications are complete, along with updates on the son-in-law’s condition and the status of the officer-involved shooting review.
Author note: Last updated February 23, 2026.