A recent spate of violence in eastern Loudoun County has prompted local officials to hold an emergency community meeting tomorrow.
There have been several violent incidents in the past two weeks alone.
Three men were shot at the intersection of East Poplar Road and Buckingham Court in a Sterling drive-by Wednesday.
The weekend of Sept. 13, two teenagers were shot and a 25-year-old man stabbed within the span of a few hours in Sterling. The teens, an 18-year-old man and 17-year-old girl, were shot on the 300 block of North Argonne Avenue.
Martin Jose Morales-Mancia, 24, turned himself in last Sunday night after allegedly breaking into the house of a senior citizen and sexually assaulting her Aug. 29.
“How many shootings, stabbings and other violent attacks have there been in Sterling in the past year?” said Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio, a Republican who represents the area. “Too many, and there has been a big increase.”
The community meeting is designed to provide information on the recent crimes, as well as allow the public to voice its fears to local officials.
“Kids walk the sidewalks, and kids go shopping here,” said Keith Nusbaum, aide to Chairman Scott York, I-at large. “The idea is to get everyone together in one place.”
York’s office has received numerous calls from concerned residents about the recent outburst of violence, Nusbaum said.
Delgaudio was dismayed at the wave of violent crimes in his district, but commended local officials for dealing with them expediently.
“I have confidence in the sheriff,” he said. “They’ve solved problems like this before.”
“There’s a lot of work that the deputies do — they’re highly motivated and highly devoted,” he continued. “Their effort is rewarded by apprehending these thugs ad nauseum.”
Supervisors York and Delgaudio, as well as Susan Klimek Buckley, D-Sugarland Run, and Andrea McGimsey, D-Potomac, plan to attend the meeting at Park View High School in Sterling at 6:30 p.m. Sheriff Steve Simpson plans to attend as well.
