Man Fatally Shoots Father, Passing Driver Before Turning The Gun On Himself

KEY POINTS

Asa Mitchell shot his father to death and wounded three other relatives
He fled in a Toyota Camry to Fauquier County
He got into a car accident and shot a passing motorist
He was later found dead from a self-inflicted wound near the crash site

A 21-year-old man fatally shot his father and a passing motorist before turning the gun on himself in Manassas, Virginia, Wednesday. He also wounded three other family members.

According to Prince William County Police, the deceased included the suspected shooter, Asa Mitchell, his 55-year-old father Eric Mark Mitchell and an unidentified motorist. The motorist appears to be a random victim and did not know the shooter, said a report by NBC Washington.

"The shooting appears domestic-related," the police said on Twitter.

*UPDATE: Ref #Manassas murder investigation; #PWCPD and @FauquierSheriff continue to investigate the overnight shooting that began at a home on Ellis Dr where 4 family members were shot. The suspect crashed in Delaplane before shooting another man & apparently committing suicide. https://t.co/lQLoVPR5MR pic.twitter.com/imyVzljVVg
— Prince William County Police Department (@PWCPolice) January 7, 2021

The deputies were called into the site of a shooting in the Signal Hill area of Prince William County around 6 p.m. Upon arrival, they found Eric Mitchell dead in a house on the property. The suspect's 76-year-old grandmother, 56-year-old mother and 16-year-old brother were wounded in the shooting.

The suspect reportedly fled in a Toyota Camry to Fauquier County, about 35 miles northwest, where he crashed his car into a tree and encountered a passing motorist.

"The suspect shot and killed the other driver before fleeing again on foot," the officials said. The Fauquier County Sheriff's Office said the driver, who was shot on the torso, seems to have stopped to help the suspect after the crash.

The deputies later found the suspect lifeless near the crash site. He had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.

Although the three other shooting victims sustained serious injuries, they are expected to survive. However, the investigators have interviewed them about the incident yet.

According to the neighbors of the Mitchells, the family has been living in the Manassas home for nearly a decade now. They do not recall any police activity at the home before Wednesday night.

Just recently, West Virginia witnessed a family murder-suicide. The police discovered the bodies of a man, a woman and two children approximately aged 3 and 12, in a home on Cemetery Hill Drive. A juvenile, also a family member, was charged with murder in connection with the deaths. The police did not reveal further information about the accused as the defendant was a juvenile.