Police said a husband and wife military couple was shot and killed outside their home in Fairfax County in Virginia around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Now a search is underway to find the suspect or suspects wanted for the double homicide.
Fairfax police identified the victims as Edward McDaniel Jr., 55, and Brenda McDaniel, 63. Both were military physicians and Edward was an active Army colonel, and Brenda was retired Fox 5 DC reported.
“We responded to a brutal double murder, where a man and a woman, a husband and a wife, two distinguished military veterans were gunned down in their front yard,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said.
Davis said the McDaniel’s were shot and killed in “cold blood.”
“They did nothing wrong,” said Fairfax County police Maj. Ed O’Carroll, the head of the Crimes and Cyber and Forensics Bureau of Fairfax County. “They were tragically and horribly murdered in their neighborhood.”
O’Carroll said police and first responders responded within two minutes of a 9-1-1- call but both victims were pronounced deceased as a result of multiple gunshot wounds.
During the press conference police did not directly identify any suspects but did identify a suspect vehicle as a 2018 light-colored Nissan Altima with Maryland license plate number 1EF1479.
“He’s known to the DMV, we believe,” Davis said. “We think he’s likely still local. We think someone has seen that car, we urge that person or persons to contact us. The car may be parked in your neighborhood right now.”
O’Carroll said police have confirmed the suspect vehicle had fled the scene, adding “we want that vehicle.” O’Carroll said the firearms used in the double homicide had not been recovered and suspects should be assumed to be armed and dangerous.
Police did not identify a possible motive for the killings, though Fox News reported Davis said earlier in the day that authorities believed the “shooter or shooters” were known to a relative of the two victims.
“There’s a lot of questions that we still have,” O’Carroll said. “The key is the car, but ultimately the key is the shooter or a second person.”
The killings represent the ninth and tenth homicides in Fairfax County this year.
“It’s nine and 10 too many,” O’Carroll said.
Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information in this case that leads to an arrest.
