Friends, neighbors and other residents gathered Saturday night at the Manassas train station to remember a 16-year-old girl killed a day earlier during First Friday in Old Town.
The informal vigil was organized by community members, not the city. Organizers had asked people to bring a candle, a flower, a photo or a memory. By nightfall, bouquets, prayer candles and a balloon lined the platform under the depot canopy, a few steps from the railroad tracks where police say the shooting unfolded Friday night.
Some mourners sat on the platform. Others stood quietly along the edge of the tracks. A small memorial grew through the evening against the brick wall of the historic station.
Police have not released the girl’s name. Chief Doug Keen has described her as an innocent bystander caught in an exchange of gunfire between two men during the crowded First Friday block party, which drew an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people downtown.
A 21-year-old Prince William County man, Tasheem Rashad Douglas, is in custody and charged with second-degree murder, possessing a firearm while committing a felony and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Police say they believe Douglas fired the shot that killed the girl. A second suspected shooter has not been arrested.
Court records reviewed Saturday show Douglas is a convicted felon who was out on bond. Potomac Local’s latest report on those records and charges is here.
The shooting happened about 9:30 p.m. Friday near the railroad tracks by Foster’s Grill and the depot, in the train-station area near Prince William Street and West Street. A 21-year-old man was also shot and taken to a Fairfax County hospital in serious but non-life-threatening condition. Police initially treated Douglas as one of the people who had been shot; he was later taken into custody at the hospital.
Keen briefed reporters at the train station Saturday afternoon and asked anyone with photos, video or other information to come forward. Tips can go to Detective Tim Urey at 703-257-8043. Digital evidence can be uploaded through the department’s public portal.
Saturday’s gathering stayed close to that same platform. Flowers and candles remained at the station after the crowd thinned.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Manassas City Police.
