An Arlington man and his girlfriend were killed in a shooting in Loudoun County yesterday.
Diego Alexander Woollett, 22, was one of two people shot and killed in the area of Huntington Square in Sterling early Thursday morning, police said.
Police responded to the area around 4:30 a.m., finding Woollett and Mijal Conejero-Romera of Sterling both suffering from gunshot wounds. They were both taken to a local hospital where they were later pronounced dead.
“Right now it appears to be a targeted incident,” Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said.
The shooting came after an argument with a group of individuals known to the pair, police said, but Woollett’s mother suggested to ARLnow that it would have been unlike her son to initiate such a dispute.
“He never held a grudge about things,” said Ruth Woollett.
Born in Colombia, Diego immigrated to the United States when he was 14. He was adopted by Ruth, who had adopted his sister two years prior after participating in a program for hosting foster children.
Diego went on to graduate from Washington-Liberty High School in 2022 and had entered the workforce as a driver for Amazon. That’s how he met his girlfriend, Conejero-Romera, who worked in one of the company’s warehouses.
In his spare time, Diego enjoyed playing soccer, his mother said. He had planned to start college this fall, she added, and was supposed to head to campus last week but didn’t want to leave Conejero-Romera.
“He was a very gentle guy, he had a big smile,” Ruth said. “Everywhere he went he made friends.”
The suspects in the case are currently at large.
“This remains an active investigation,” the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said. “The LCSO is asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident or may have additional information to call Detective Grimsley at (703) 777-1021.”
