Police have released the name and photo of a suspect they say shot and killed a teenager in Herndon, Virginia, Wednesday afternoon. They have an arrest warrant and are continuing to search for the suspect, 18-year-old Ismael Cruz-Delcid.
Witnesses say a confrontation among three teenagers led to the shooting Wednesday before 4 p.m. in a hotel parking lot in the 13700 block of Coppermine Road.
Fairfax County police say Cruz-Delcid, of Herndon, arrived at the parking lot in his car and got into a physical fight with two other teens. Cruz-Delcid then pulled out a gun and fired at them, police said. They did not give any potential motive.
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One of the teens was shot and was taken to a hospital, where he died. His name and age have not been publicly released.
The gunshots missed the other victim, who was able to identify the shooter to police.
Cruz-Delcid left his Honda Civic at the scene and ran off after the shooting, police said.
A witness told Telemundo 44 they were pulling into the parking lot and saw someone running away and another person on the ground.
Another witness said she was steps away from where the shooting happened.
"I heard kids, like, kind of yelling, but you know, there are kids that walk all through here around that time, anyway," Herndon resident Violet Vicks said. "And it sounded like a couple of boys, maybe, or men yelling at each other, but I wasn’t really paying attention, and then I heard, I only heard two pops, but I thought that it was, like, a car backfiring. I don't know. I didn’t really process what it was.”
Police released the suspect's name and photo Thursday afternoon. They said they have arrest warrants for Cruz-Delcid for second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, as well as a warrant for distribution of cocaine stemming from a previous narcotics investigation.
Anyone with information on the crime or on Cruz-Delcid's whereabouts is asked to contact Fairfax County police at 703-246-7800. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), via text at 847411(type "FCCS" before your message) or online here.
'I can't imagine anything more devastating for that kid’s family'
There was a massive police response to Wednesday's shooting with several heavily armed officers on the scene. The shooter was believed to have fled toward Lutie Lewis Coates Elementary School, which was locked down as police searched the area.
“We have a teenager who’s dead and shouldn’t be,” Fairfax County Deputy Police Chief Brooke Wright said Wednesday. “I can’t imagine anything more devastating for that kid’s family. So, we take that very, very seriously. And obviously, the suspect, we know, was armed with a firearm. So, because of that, yes, we’re going to have heavily, heavily armed officers that are searching for that suspect, who we believe could be dangerous to them if encountered.”
Officers were still spread out around the hotel and nearby as of Thursday afternoon.
Police said that victim specialists from their Major Crimes Bureau’s Victim Services Division have been assigned to assist the victim's family receive resources and help.
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