An armed robbery ended with a police shooting near the home of Mark Meadows in Alexandria, Virginia. One suspect was killed and one officer was injured in the gunfight. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows canceled his interview with Good Morning America on Monday after an armed robbery and shootout took place near his apartment building in Alexandria, Virginia.
Meadows’ home a shooting crime scene
Thankfully, the incident was unrelated to him. Still, Meadows obeyed police orders and stayed home during their investigation. After getting a late start on his day Meadows gave the following statement to White House reporters.
“Early this morning outside of my apartment in Virginia, there was an incident unrelated to me, but shots were fired and so I ended up having to shelter in place. Hopefully, the officers involved will be safe and as it happened it was 5:45 a.m. this morning and so we ended up having a delayed start.”
Police in Alexandria ordered some residents to remain in their homes while they searched for the suspect responsible for multiple shootings in North Old Town. The suspect was taken into custody later that morning. The incident began just after 5:00 a.m. on Monday morning when Alexandria police received a report of an armed robbery at the Holiday Inn hotel in the 600 block of First Street.
When officers arrived at the scene the two suspects fled the hotel on foot, leading police on a wild chase for several city blocks. When the chase reached the intersection of Montgomery and North Fairfax streets the suspects turned and exchanged gunfire with police. Both suspects and both police officers on the scene reportedly fired their wepaons.
Suspect dead officer down
One suspect was killed during the shootout. One officer was injured. He was treated for non life-threatening injuries and released from the hospital shortly after. The second suspect surrendered to police later that morning. Mitchell D. Thompson, 26, of Alexandria, is being charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Thompson has a history of drug charges in Fairfax County.
Neighbors left shocked and terrified by the violence
People living in the Old Town section of Alexandria are not used to waking up to the sounds of gunfire in the early morning hours. Many residents were stunned when they received emergency emails from police urging them to remain in their homes with their doors and windows locked.
“We think of it as a very safe area,” one home owner living nearby the shooting told reporters. “To hear about a policeman getting shot and somebody else being killed is very scary.”
A police K-9 unit searching the area found one of the suspects dead in the bushes nearby the scene of the shooting. At this time it’s unclear whether he was killed by police or whether he took his own life. He was found in possession of a stolen firearm which was discharged during the chase.