Updated 10:06 a.m. Wednesday, May 25
Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson released a statement addressing Tuesday's violence at Bradlee Shopping Center and the death of Luis Mejia Hernandez.
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Updated 8:22 p.m. Tuesday, May 24
Alexandria City High School student Luis Mejia Hernandez was killed Tuesday after being stabbed in a fight that may have involved dozens of students.
Alexandria Police reported the student, 18 years old, was stabbed during a fight outside the McDonald’s at the Bradlee Shopping Center. Earlier this academic year,
The fight happened during lunch, around 12:25 p.m. Police estimated that 30 to 50 people were present in the parking lot during the event. Alexandria City High School campuses – both Minnie Howard and the main campus -- were placed in “secure the building” status until 3:15 p.m.
“The initial call for service was received at approximately 12:26 p.m. for a large group fight in the 3600 block of King Street. During the fight, one male was critically injured and transported to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries,” according to a police report.
“Police are still investigating the incident, and are asking anyone who may have information related to this case to contact APD Detective Christine Escobar via phone at 703.746.6819, email at Christine.Escobar@alexandriava.gov, or call our non-emergency line at 703.746.4444. Tips can be anonymous.”
Shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday, Superintendent Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. released the following message to all Alexandria City Public School parents:
Dear ACPS Families,
Today was a tragic day for our school community. We are mourning the loss of one of our Class of 2022 Titans today. We are hearing about the deep grief that people in our community are experiencing and we want to give people time to deal with this traumatic loss and cope with what this means for our school community.
Following today’s tragedy, many are experiencing mental health challenges and disbelief as we have been anticipating the end of the school year. For this reason, we will have students at the four campuses of Alexandria City High School (ACHS) transition to asynchronous virtual learning for Wed. May 25, 2022. All ACHS students should log into their accounts in Canvas or Clever for information specific to their courses.
We believe that transitioning to virtual learning for our high school students will allow our school community the time and space to grieve and process this loss, and we will have support team members from the schools, Department of Student Services & Equity and the City’s Department of Community and Human Services available on site for anyone who needs that support. The on-site counseling supports will be available in English and in Spanish. Interpretation services will also be available. If a student feels they would like virtual counseling supports, they can contact any member of SST who will connect them to a virtual session. For any needs or concerns, students or families may reach out to their school counselor via email, through Canvas, or by calling the school at 703-824-6800.
It can be challenging to discuss such a loss with your children. There are resources for coping with loss from the National Association of School Psychologists to support you in these discussions. There are also student support team professionals in each school to support you. Additionally, there is a disturbing video related to this loss that is being circulated on social media. Please monitor your children’s use of social media and encourage them not to view the video or share it with others.
We understand that some high school students are required to complete Standards of Learning (SOL) test requirements this week. We will work with students to reschedule SOL tests in the coming days.
I am grateful that the Alexandria City community comes together at such difficult times to partner with us in taking care of our students and staff. Please join me in keeping the family in your thoughts in the coming weeks.
With my deepest sympathy,
Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.
Superintendent
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Earlier this academic year, in September 2021, Alexandria police responded to a shooting involving students from ACHS. The fight after school resulted in one of those involved getting shot. That student survived. Several smaller fights have taken place over the past several months, many either during lunch or shortly after school.
