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Christian Parker, of Reston, had been wanted for firing a gun in a home Sunday and other offenses when police confronted him in the parking lot of the Springfield Mall around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30, county police said.
Parker had been convicted of "many, many felonies," Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said. When officers found him in the lot, they positioned their cars in a way to stop his escape.
Parker entered his car as officers approached, and three officers gave him several commands to show his hands. Parker reached across the passenger seat and picked up a firearm, which a keen-eyed officer saw, and promptly notified other officers.
Officers told Parker to drop the weapon "at least 20 times," but he refused, and two officers fired theirs, police said.
Officers broke the window to Parker’s vehicle and entered the locked car, rendering aid until fire and rescue personnel arrived. Parker was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.
ATF agents will join Fairfax County major crimes detectives and internal affairs investigators to determine the details of the shooting, Davis said. The officers all wore body cameras that recorded the incident.
Davis has reviewed the videos and says the officers "acted bravely in a very dangerous situation."
“I’ve watched a lot of body-worn camera footage in my three decades in policing," he said, "… and I feel very comfortable that these police officers acted appropriately."
Police will release those videos to the public in the next 30 days.
Davis said Springfield Mall remained open, and there is no threat to the community.
Click here to watch Fairfax County's Thursday night press conference.
This is the second shooting at a Fairfax County mall this month. A man fired several shots during a fight at the Tysons Corner Center shopping center on June 18. Police arrested D.C. rapper No Savage, whose real name is Noah Settles, and charged him in that shooting.
Multiple shoppers were hurt as they scrambled to get out of the mall, but no one was shot.
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