Crime & Safety

Gunman Fatally Shoots Himself Near Merrifield Preschool, No Other Injuries: Police (UPDATES)

A gunman at a Merrifield building with a preschool died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say. No other injuries were reported.

(Updated) MERRIFIELD, VA — Authorities say the gunman reported at a Merrifield preschool building died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday afternoon. No other injuries were reported when the shooter reportedly begin firing at a law office house in a building that also contains a preschool.

Around 4:50 p.m. police received reports of a man firing multiple shots from a pistol at a fourth floor law office at 8111 Gatehouse Road. The office building also houses the Falls Church Merrifield Preschool, a daycare and preschool center.

Officers, trained to respond to active shooter situations, quickly headed to the fourth floor and encountered the deceased shooter. The shooter was identified as John Francis Wood, 52, of Vienna.

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"We are thankful that this event did not create any other injuries to anyone in the building and/or our community," Fairfax County Police Chief Ed Roessler told reporters.

Police are interviewing witnesses in attempts to determine a motive.

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Roessler called the active shooting situation the "most horrific thing" parents and the people in the building could encounter. Hundreds of people evacuated the building, and children were ushered to a nearby site to meet up with their families. Parents were told to pick up children at Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road in Falls Church.

Fairfax County Public Schools confirmed via Twitter that the shooting location was not its administration building.

No further information is available. Police are expected to provide updates Thursday. Stay with Patch as this breaking news story develops.

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See the area where the shooting happened and the meeting points for parents and children in the map below.


Image via Fairfax County Police


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