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Man Opens Fire On Police In Community Already Rattled By Fatal Shooting Of Officer

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Steve Birr Vice Reporter
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A Fairfax, Va. man opened fire on police officers responding to a domestic violence call Wednesday, already rattling the community mourning Saturday’s fatal shooting of Officer Ashley Guindon.

Syed Javid, 19, came out his front door in Franconia Wednesday afternoon, brandishing a handgun and long rife and proceeded to open fire on officers. The police and neighbors were unharmed as a SWAT team subdued the suspect by firing beanbag projectiles and a siccing a police dog on him, reports NBC Washington.

“Initially, he dropped the long gun, refused commands but then dropped the handgun,” Police Chief Ed Roessler said at a press conference. “He was also given commands to go down to the ground so we could execute a safe arrest. He refused those commands and started to go towards the officers.”

Police took Javid into custody at 6:20 p.m. Wednesday, where they determined the long rifle to be fake and ordered Javid undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Police charged Javid’s father with assault after a dispute between the two earlier Wednesday escalated, reports WTOP.

As the standoff unfolded, police set up a perimeter, barricading the neighborhood. Authorities also advised neighbors stay indoors in their basements or lowest area in their home for safety.

“Whenever there is a threat of a firearm or sometimes people threaten they are going to blow something up or burn something , we try to look out for the neighbors and everyone in the community, so we definitely advised all the neighbors and people in the neighborhood to take cover and stay in a safe place until we resolved the matter,” Fairfax County Police Officer Tawny Wright said Wednesday.

The incident comes on the heels of Saturday’s fatal shooting of Officer Ashley Guindon, who was killed while responding to a domestic violence call on her first shift as a newly sworn in officer. Two other officers were injured in the shooting. Ronald Hamilton, an Army staff sergeant stationed at the Pentagon, was charged with the murder of Guindon, as well as his wife, Crystal Hamilton, who was found dead at the scene. (RELATED: Community Mourns Death Of Female Officer Slain By Pentagon Army Sergeant)

“Officer Ashley Guindon gave her life in the line of duty for the same type of event,” Roessler said Tuesday. “This is what we do every day in the Fairfax County Police Department and nationwide as a profession.”

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