A man in his 50s armed with a 10-inch curved dagger, described by police as resembling a meat cleaver, was fatally shot by a Fairfax County police officer on Monday morning, February 23, 2026, after he brutally stabbed three members of his family inside their apartment in the Mantua area, killing his daughter and leaving his wife and son-in-law in critical condition.
The attack occurred in the 3900 block of Persimmon Circle, a quiet residential street just east of the City of Fairfax, and was so violent that Police Chief Kevin Davis described the scene inside the home as a “bloodbath.”
The horrific sequence of events unfolded shortly before 6:15 a.m. as the son-in-law, a man in his 30s, was outside clearing snow from his car. He heard a commotion coming from the apartment he shared with his wife, their 1-year-old baby, and his wife’s parents. Rushing back inside, he was confronted by an unimaginable scene: he found his wife suffering from stab wounds and witnessed his father-in-law actively stabbing his mother-in-law. The attacker then turned the weapon on him, and the son-in-law was also stabbed during the assault.
A neighbor in a nearby building, who also heard the disturbance, called 911. When the first officer arrived at the apartment, he encountered the man who was still in the process of stabbing his son-in-law. The officer issued multiple, repeated commands for the man to drop the knife, but he refused to comply and continued his attack. Facing an active threat to life, the officer discharged his firearm, striking the suspect.
The man who was shot was pronounced dead at the scene. Inside the apartment, first responders found the three victims: the attacker’s daughter, who died from her stab wounds at the scene; his wife, who was taken to the hospital in “grave, life-threatening condition”; and the son-in-law, who was also hospitalized with critical injuries. Miraculously, the couple’s 1-year-old baby, who was inside the home during the attack, was physically unharmed and was placed in the care of Child Protective Services.
Police Chief Kevin Davis stated that the officer who fired his weapon followed protocol by using deadly force to prevent further loss of life, a determination supported by a preliminary review of body-worn camera footage. Davis noted that there had been no prior calls for service for domestic violence at the residence, but the incident serves as a stark reminder of how quickly such situations can escalate. The officer involved has been placed on modified duty pending a full investigation by the department and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office.
As the community in Mantua grapples with this tragedy, the two surviving victims remain hospitalized in serious condition, and the infant is safe with authorities. The names of the suspect and the victims have not yet been officially released pending family notifications. The investigation into both the domestic attack and the officer-involved shooting remains ongoing.