A 16-year-old girl killed during First Friday in Old Town Manassas is believed to have been a bystander in an exchange of gunfire, Manassas City Police said Saturday.
Sgt. Shauna Moller, the department’s public information officer, confirmed that characterization to Potomac Local News on Saturday afternoon.
“Yes, at this time it is believed that the 16-year-old victim was a bystander during a gunfire exchange,” Moller wrote in an email. She said police are drafting an official release with more information.
Police have not publicly identified the girl. They have not said how many people fired weapons.
Manassas police have scheduled a news conference at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, at the train station. Potomac Local will update this story after that briefing.
A community vigil is planned around 6 p.m. Saturday in Old Town Manassas to remember the victim. Organizers are asking people to bring a candle, a flower, a photo, or a memory to share. The gathering is being organized by friends and community members, not the city.
A 21-year-old man was taken to a Fairfax County hospital in serious but non-life-threatening condition, Police Chief Doug Keen said late Friday. Keen called the shooting an active-shooter incident and said about 10,000 people were in Old Town for First Friday.
The shooting happened around the railroad tracks at Foster’s Grill by the depot, Keen said — the Manassas Train Station area near Prince William Street and West Street.
“We know someone saw something,” Keen said at a briefing near Battle Street and Center Street.
Keen asked parents to talk with children who were downtown, including adults.
An overnight police notice said the shooter had not been identified or taken into custody and that victim identities were not being released. Detectives and crime-scene personnel were still working the scene.
Anyone with information, photos, or video can call Detective Urey at 703-257-8043 or email [email protected]. Police also opened a secure upload portal: https://manassaspdva.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/2026-00044749
Police said Friday night the shooting was not officer-involved. They asked the public to stay out of Old Town and set a reunification site at the Farmers Market lot, 9024 Prince William Street. Media staged at Truist Bank, 9201 Church Street.
A nearby resident told Potomac Local she heard three shots, then two more, saw people running to their cars, and saw a woman on a stretcher.
This story will be updated after the 4 p.m. police briefing.
