Update on 12/20/23 — Two arrests have been made, ACPD announced.
Earlier: Gunshots were fired near where a group of children were playing this afternoon in the Green Valley neighborhood.
Multiple 911 callers reported the sound of gunshots shortly before 3:30 p.m. Saturday. One caller heard seven shots, near the 2200 block of Shirlington Road. Others reported seeing a group of men arguing and then running away after the shots.
Arlington County police said around 4:15 p.m. that they’ve found no evidence of injuries or property damage as a result of the gunfire. Officers remain on scene investigating,
A group called Green Valley Matters was holding a children’s soccer game in a park near where the shots were fired. The group was founded to advocate for public safety and community improvement in the neighborhood.
ACPD issued the following press release about the incident on Sunday.
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating a shots fired incident which occurred in the Green Valley neighborhood on the afternoon of December 2, 2023.
At approximately 3:25 p.m., police were dispatched to S. Kenmore Street and 23rd Street S. for multiple reports of shots fired. Responding officers canvassed the area and located evidence confirming several shots had been fired. The preliminary investigation indicates approximately six male suspects were walking in the area when they approached a vehicle exiting the parking lot. The vehicle stopped briefly during which at least one suspect discharged a firearm at the vehicle before it fled the scene at a high rate of speed. The suspects ran from the area immediately following the incident and were not located.
The suspect who allegedly discharged the firearm is described as a Black male wearing a black puffy jacket and gray pants. The vehicle involved in the incident is described as a silver Nissan sedan.
No injuries related to the incident were reported and minor damage to a nearby building was located.
This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information or home surveillance that may assist with the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
Green Valley has seen a number of shots fired calls over the past few years, including in June 2021, July 2021, August 2022, October 2022, January 2023 and June 2023.
POLICE ACTIVITY: ACPD is investigating a shots fired incident in the area of the 2200 block of Shirlington Road. No injuries or property damage reported at this time. Expect continued police presence in the area. pic.twitter.com/h0VfMVXMGA
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) December 2, 2023
SHOTS FIRED INCIDENT— 23rd St South and South Kenmore St in Arlington. Nobody found shot yet, but police received multiple calls from those who heard the gunfire. @ARLnowDOTcom pic.twitter.com/Fx6TOid4q3
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) December 2, 2023