Detective Vicky Anne Owen Armel

Vicky Anne Owen Armel

Detective Vicky Armel was shot and killed when a suspect opened fire on her and other officers in the parking lot of the Sully District Station on Stonecroft Boulevard in Chantilly.

The suspect had carjacked a van moments earlier and drove into the police station's back parking lot. The suspect exited the vehicle and opened fire with a hunting rifle on Master Police Officer Michael Garbarino, who was sitting in his patrol car, striking him five times.

Detective Armel, who was also in the parking lot, immediately engaged the suspect and exchanged shots with the man. She was fatally wounded during the exchange. Several officers who responded to the parking lot also exchanged shots with him, killing him. In addition to the hunting rifle, the suspect was armed with five handguns and another rifle.

Detective Armel and the Master Police Officer Garbarino were flown to Inova Fairfax Hospital by members of the agency's Helicopter Division. Master Police Officer Garbarino remained in critical condition for 9 days before succumbing to his wounds.

Investigation revealed that the 18-year-old suspect had been arrested by Fairfax County police officers two weeks earlier for a carjacking he had committed in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Detective Armel had served with the Fairfax County Police Department for 9 years and had previously served with the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office for 8 years. She is survived by her son, a daughter, and her husband, who also serves as an officer with the agency.