Tasheem Rashad Douglas, 21, is in custody and charged with second-degree murder in the killing of a 16-year-old girl during First Friday in Old Town Manassas, police said.
Manassas police also charged him with having a gun while committing a felony and having a gun as a convicted felon. He is being held at a local hospital.
Police said Douglas is one of two people who were shooting at each other Friday night. Officers first treated him as one of the people who had been shot. The second suspected shooter has not been taken into custody.
Police have not released the girl’s name. Police Chief Doug Keen said she was an innocent bystander in an exchange of gunfire.
Court records: convicted felon on probation
Prince William County court records reviewed Saturday show Douglas is a convicted felon. Prosecutors in Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth’s office brought the felony case.
- Charge: having a weapon while in jail or in custody, a Class 6 felony
- Offense date: April 30, 2024
- The case started in Prince William General District Court. A judge sent it up to Circuit Court. A grand jury returned an indictment, a finding that there was enough evidence for the case to go forward.
- Guilty plea: Feb. 11, 2025, in Prince William Circuit Court
- Sentence: April 4, 2025 — five years in prison, with four years and 10 months set aside. That left two months to serve.
- After release: three years of supervised probation
- The prison time was stacked on top of another sentence, meaning it did not run at the same time.
- Court costs: $985
He also has a misdemeanor conviction from the same prosecutor’s office.
- Charge: shoplifting and switching tags on merchandise valued under $1,000
- Offense date: Aug. 1, 2024
- No-contest plea: Nov. 18, 2024. The court treated that plea as a finding of guilt.
- Sentence: 30 days in jail, all of it suspended, meaning he did not have to serve the time if he stayed out of trouble
Open cases and a warrant on First Friday
He was still on supervised probation in the 2025 felony case when Friday’s shooting happened.
- Accused of breaking that probation
- Alleged violation date: April 6, 2026
- A warrant went out. He was arrested April 13, 2026.
- A judge granted bond April 16, 2026, allowing him to be released while the case was pending.
- Next hearing: Jan. 28, 2027
- A judge has not yet decided whether probation was broken.
He also had open gun cases in Prince William General District Court from Feb. 15, 2026. Those are charges, not convictions. He was released on his promise to return to court. The next court date is Dec. 7, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. The pending charges are:
- Having a gun as a nonviolent felon
- Having ammunition or a weapon that is not a gun, as a felon
- Having a weapon on school property
- Carrying a loaded gun in public
- Carrying a hidden gun
Police described that February episode as an argument at Manassas Mall, then a foot chase onto Westgate Elementary grounds. The mall and school sit in Prince William County. The cases were filed in Prince William County court.
A separate warrant was already in the system on the day of First Friday.
- Accused of breaking the rules of his release
- Warrant filed: Sept. 4, 2026
- Alleged violation date: Sept. 3, 2026
- The court file that day listed him as a fugitive on that warrant.
Charges that were dropped
Other Prince William cases against him were dropped.
- April 23, 2024: assault and battery, and pointing or brandishing a gun. Prosecutors in Ashworth’s office dropped both on July 17, 2024.
- April 30, 2024: carrying a hidden gun, and stealing a firearm. Prosecutors dropped both on Dec. 2, 2024.
- Aug. 11, 2025: petty theft under $1,000. Dismissed June 23, 2026. The dismissal was not “with prejudice,” meaning the charge could have been brought back.
The new First Friday charges were filed by Manassas City Police. City felonies from Manassas typically go to Prince William Circuit Court. Court records reviewed Saturday did not show who will prosecute the homicide.
Douglas is listed in police statements as a Prince William County resident who lived outside the city. Later court tickets list a Manassas address.
What happened Friday night
The shooting happened Friday, Sept. 4, about 9:30 p.m., during First Friday in Old Town. Keen said about 10,000 people were downtown. He called it an active-shooter incident and said it was not officer-involved.
Keen said the scene was around the railroad tracks at Foster’s Grill by the depot, in 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.
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.
Police set a reunification site Friday night at the Farmers Market lot, 9024 Prince William Street.
Vigil and how to help investigators
Friends and neighbors planned a community vigil about 6 p.m. Saturday in Old Town. The gathering is not a city event.
Anyone with information can call Detective Urey at 703-257-8043 or email [email protected]. Photos and video can be uploaded at https://manassaspdva.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/2026-00044749.
Police said more information will be released when appropriate. This story will be updated.
