Manassas police recovered more than 25 shell casings from the street at the Church and Main intersection after shots were fired about 11 p.m. Friday outside Brew Church. No injuries were reported, and officers already within one block of the scene arrived in less than one minute.
Police Chief Colonel Douglas W. Keen gave the update to City Council on Monday. He said the investigation remains active. Detectives are reviewing video from the church and nearby businesses, and the church is cooperating fully. Keen said police are deliberately limited in what they release while the case is open so that public statements do not jeopardize later prosecution. No arrests have been reported.
The initial report, which Keen said was also shared with council and posted on social media, described five individuals leaving a private event. The event had been rented to non-church people and was held in the church basement. A confrontation occurred inside. The individuals then left and pulled firearms. Some rounds were fired into the air. Others struck a light post and the front of Brew Church. No ABC permit for the event was found through the state portal. Keen said police were not notified in advance because it was a private gathering, comparable to a wedding reception in the basement, and therefore not on the department’s radar.
Keen said detectives have been working around the clock, speaking with residents and checking for surveillance video. A church staff member was present that night. He described hundreds of hours of video still to review. Officers also handled intoxicated people after the event. The age range of people associated with the gathering was described as teens to 30.
Keen also addressed a community letter calling for immediate public-safety action. He said the department is already part of multiple task forces that include the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals, Virginia State Police and narcotics partners. Annual and midyear crime reports are published. The Citizen Connect crime map on the department website provides data that is generally available within 24 hours, allowing residents to view calls by street, neighborhood or citywide.
A lighting assessment of Old Town began after the earlier First Friday incident. Phase one has been approved by the city manager to increase lighting downtown. A second assessment is planned after those changes are made; police will then contact private-property owners where additional lighting is needed. The department also uses hotspot policing and has a public strategic plan with measurable goals.
Keen said crime data shows a downturn, but the fear of crime in the community is high after recent incidents, including the First Friday shooting and the United Rentals shooting. He said the last two months have been among the toughest the city has seen in a long time. The department hopes to have a text or email alert system for downtown events by the first of the year. Officer radios have been encrypted since after the Sept. 11 attacks for officer safety.
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