Prince William County police have identified Joseph Anthony Cassell, 26, as the man who died during an officer-involved shooting on April 26, 2025, inside an apartment at Westminster at Lake Ridge Senior Living Home, located at 12191 Clipper Drive. The investigation remains active and is being led by the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). More information will be released when available.
Here’s the full press release:
Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation DECEASED IDENTIFIED – Prince William County police have identified the man who died during an officer-involved shooting that occurred inside an apartment within the Westminster at Lake Ridge Senior Living Home located at 12191 Clipper Drive in Woodbridge (22192) on April 26. The deceased was identified as Joseph Anthony CASSELL, 26. The investigation into the encounter between the officers and the deceased remains active and led by the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). More information will be released when available. The investigation continues.
Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation [Previously Released] – On April 26 at 9:58AM, two Prince William County police officers were involved in an officer-involved shooting at the Westminster at Lake Ridge Senior Living Home located in the 12100 block of Clipper Drive in Woodbridge (22192).
Preliminarily, officers were called to the scene in reference to a male in crisis who was armed with a knife. Upon making contact with the male inside the residence he approached the officers with the knife.
Officers gave the man commands which he disregarded. The officers discharged their service weapons firing multiple rounds. After the initial confrontation with the officers, the man then began to attack the victim, identified as a 91-year-old woman, leading to officers discharging their weapons again. Officers provided first aid to both the male and the female. The female was flown to an area hospital for serious injuries and is expected to recover. The male died at the scene.
No officers were injured during the incident, which remained contained to the residence. During the investigation officers determined the parties involved were related.
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Two Prince William County police officers were involved in an officer-involved shooting on April 26, 2025, at 9:58 a.m. at the Westminster at Lake Ridge Senior Living Home, located in the 12100 block of Clipper Drive in Woodbridge (22192).
Officers responded to a call about a male in crisis armed with a knife. Upon making contact with the man inside the residence, he approached the officers with the weapon. After the man disregarded commands, the officers discharged their service weapons, firing multiple rounds. Following the initial confrontation, the man attacked a 91-year-old woman, leading the officers to discharge their weapons again.
Officers provided first aid to both the male and the female. The woman was flown to an area hospital with serious injuries and is expected to recover. The male died at the scene. No officers were injured, and the incident remained contained to the residence.
Investigators determined the involved parties were related. Another adult female was inside the residence at the time but was not injured. The identity of the deceased, preliminarily identified as a 26-year-old man, is pending confirmation.
At the request of Chief Peter Newsham, the Prince William County Police Department requested the regional Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) to conduct an independent investigation. The officers involved will be placed on routine administrative leave. More information will be released when available. The investigation continues.
Here’s the full press release:
Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation – On April 26 at 9:58AM, two Prince William County police officers were involved in an officer-involved shooting at the Westminster at Lake Ridge Senior Living Home located in the 12100 block of Clipper Drive in Woodbridge (22192). Preliminarily, officers were called to the scene in reference to a male in crisis who was armed with a knife.
Upon making contact with the male inside the residence he approached the officers with the knife. Officers gave the man commands which he disregarded. The officers discharged their service weapons firing multiple rounds. After the initial confrontation with the officers, the man then began to attack the victim, identified as a 91-year-old woman, leading to officers discharging their weapons again.
Officers provided first aid to both the male and the female. The female was flown to an area hospital for serious injuries and is expected to recover. The male died at the scene. No officers were injured during the incident, which remained contained to the residence.
During the investigation officers determined the parties involved were related. There was also one additional adult female inside the residence during the incident who was not injured. The identity of the deceased, preliminarily identified as a 26-year-old man, is waiting to be confirmed.
The Prince William County Police Department, at the request of Chief Peter Newsham, has requested the regional Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) to oversee the investigation as an independent body. The involved officers will be placed on routine administrative leave. More information will be released when available. The investigation continues.
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The incident occurred at 11:32 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, at the Citgo gas station at 1320 Old Bridge Road. According to Prince William County Police, a 2014 Toyota Camry exited the fuel pump area toward Gordon Boulevard when it struck a pedestrian near the fuel pump island.
Police say the pedestrian, Jeffrey Wayne Holman, 56, of Woodbridge, fell to the ground and was subsequently run over by the vehicle. Emergency crews from fire and rescue extracted Holman and transported him to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Monday, March 25.
The driver of the vehicle remained on the scene. No other injuries were reported. Pending the outcome of the investigation, police have not filed any charges at this time.
Earlier in the week, on Monday, March 24, another person was killed in a separate crash on Linton Hall Road near Glenkirk Road.
Police said a 2019 Toyota Highlander was traveling northbound on Linton Hall Road at 9:48 a.m. when it crossed into the southbound lanes, left the roadway, struck a guardrail, went down an embankment, became airborne, rolled over, and came to rest on its side in a field.
The driver, Marat Lise Essex, 52, of Bristow, was the sole occupant of the vehicle. She was taken to a hospital, where she later died.
Investigators are asking anyone who may have witnessed either crash to contact Prince William County Police. Both investigations remain ongoing.
The panel, moderated by University of Mary Washington political science professor Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, focused on the sweeping changes being proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a federal initiative aiming to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending.
Federal cuts coming
Rob Hartwell, a former Capitol Hill chief of staff and now president of Hartwell Capital Consulting, warned that Prince William County’s reliance on federal jobs and contracts makes it vulnerable.
“There’s never been a complete overhaul of federal agencies in 50 years,” said Hartwell. “Now, the pendulum is swinging hard, and we’re seeing real disruption.”
According to Hartwell, Virginia is home to more than 235,000 federal employees — about 5.5% of the state’s workforce — and Prince William County alone has about 23,000, with some estimates placing that number even higher.
Public support for reform is strong, he said, citing polls showing over 60% of Americans back DOGE’s mission. But Hartwell cautioned that such popularity comes with costs. “We may lose 10% of our federal workforce here,” he said, adding that layoffs are already happening in the defense contracting industry.
Hartwell also presented examples of what he called “wasteful spending,” including $12 million for Las Vegas pickleball courts and $4.6 million for international drag shows. “It’s spending like this that makes the public fed up,” he said.
Economic outlook: gloomy
Dr. Keith Walters, director of the Stephen S. Fuller Institute at George Mason University, delivered a stark economic forecast. “I’m here to provide some doom and gloom,” Walters said, only half-joking.
Northern Virginia’s economy has underperformed the national average since 2011, Walters said, largely due to overreliance on federal procurement. He warned that layoffs in the federal and contracting sectors would likely bleed into retail, hospitality, and other industries.
Walters estimated that 1.5% of Prince William residents — those with federal jobs — could lose employment as the DOGE cuts take effect. “That’s your neighbors,” he said.
He added that the local housing crunch is compounding the region’s challenges. “There are just 552 homes for sale in Prince William County. If you’re running a business, you can’t hire people if they have nowhere to live,” Walters said.
Solutions and opportunity
Despite the dire outlook, both speakers offered solutions. Hartwell called on county leaders to diversify the economy by investing in tourism, technology, and workforce development. He also pitched ideas to revitalize Route 1 into a military technology corridor and transform Route 28 into a high-tech hub.
Meanwhile, Walters said Prince William County is doing better than some neighboring jurisdictions when it comes to housing construction. “You’re building more than most, and you’re helping the region — that’s part of why your traffic is so bad,” he said, sparking a round of chuckles.
The evening wrapped with a reminder of the stakes involved.
“We’re going to pay the price here in Prince William County,” Hartwell warned, “for the excesses of some inside the federal bureaucracy who threw our money away.”
The Prince William Committee of 100 is a non-partisan educational forum dedicated to studying essential interests, problems, and goals of the people of Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. The committee brings together diverse leaders from business, civic, and government communities to explore issues and foster common understanding. Membership is open to individuals living or working in the Prince William area engaged in civic, business, cultural, humanitarian, or similar activities.
The Committee generally offers programs on the third Thursday of every month except for June, July, August, and December. Forums typically feature panels of experts discussing current issues of importance to the community.
The Committee of 100 will continue hosting public forums on key regional issues throughout the year.
Fire and rescue units responded at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, February 8, to the 3400 block of Aviary Way, near Lake Ridge Elementary School, after a resident reported seeing smoke coming from the back of their home. When crews arrived, they found smoke and flames moving up the rear of the house and into the attic. Firefighters quickly contained and extinguished the fire.
No injuries were reported, but the home sustained moderate damage. The Building Official declared the residence unsafe for occupancy. The American Red Cross assists two adults and three children displaced by the fire.
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From Prince William Fire and Rescue:
Townhouse Fire
Friday, November 29, 2024
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A rising musician who plays for Huntley, made famous on NBC’s “The Voice” is due in a Prince William County courtroom on November 4, 2024, charged in the shooting death of his father and his dog.
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Police have launched an investigation into a shooting in Lake Ridge, where a 56-year-old man and his dog were killed early Monday morning. Officers were called to a home on the 2500 block of Paxton St. at 2:39 a.m. on October 28 after a family friend alerted police about a shooting in the residence.
Upon arrival, officers encountered Christopher Tyler Rose, 29, who was detained without incident. The investigation reveals that Rose allegedly shot his father, Brian Christopher Rose, during an altercation. Rose also reportedly killed the family’s one-year-old Labrador Retriever. Both father and dog were pronounced dead at the scene. Police report that no one else was inside the home at the time.
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Police charged the driver of a 2009 Mack roll-off truck involved in a fatal crash on September 5 in Woodbridge. The crash occurred near Old Bridge Rd. and Occoquan Road, where 23-year-old Melanie Ruby Morales, operating a 2023 Kawasaki motorcycle, lost control and was run over by the truck. Investigators determined that both excessive speed on the part of Morales and the truck driver’s failure to maintain his lane contributed to the accident. The truck driver, 56-year-old Kojo Essandoh of Triangle, was charged with failure to maintain lane and has been released on a court summons.
From Prince William police:
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Prince William police responded to a domestic incident at Rolling Brook Apartments in Lake Ridge early Friday morning, October 11, 2024.
Few details have been released by police, but a tipster informed Potomac Local that officers were seen using a tactical vehicle at the apartment complex around 1 a.m. The nature of the incident remains unclear.
