Man gets 17 years in shooting death of ex-Hill intern
A Fort Washington man was sentenced to 17 years in prison Monday in the killing of a former Capitol Hill intern.
Antoine Taylor, 30, pleaded guilty in October to killing 19-year-old Joshua Hopkins. Hopkins had recently finished his freshman year at Fairmont State University in West Virginia, and previously worked as an intern for U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, a Pennsylvania Democrat.
According to prosecutors, on July 2, 2010, Hopkins was with friends at Watts Park, in the 6100 block of Banks Place NE. Police said Taylor and Hopkins jokingly traded insults, but at some point the exchange turned serious and Taylor became angry. He started chasing Hopkins, and the two were separated.
About 30 minutes later, Taylor shot Hopkins, who died the next day.
Bug spray explodes, injures Falls Church man
A Falls Church man was injured when several containers of bug spray exploded in his Falls Church townhouse.
About a dozen aerosol inspect repellent cans were ignited by an electrical spark from a refrigerator at about 7:15 p.m. Sunday, according to Fairfax County fire and rescue officials.
The man suffered non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. The explosion at the home on the 2800 block of Pine Spring Road also damaged an adjoining townhouse.
Man accused of stealing 1,000 pills
A man has been charged with stealing about 1,000 pills in a robbery at a Woodbridge CVS.
James R. Bradford Jr., 38, allegedly implied he was carrying a firearm and demanded medications from the CVS at 13600 Jefferson Davis Highway on Dec. 17, according to Prince William County police. Police said Bradford took about 1,000 pills, including the pain relievers Percocet and Dilaudid, which were valued at about $5,400.
Bradford, of Dumfries, was taken into custody last week.
— Emily Babay and Scott McCabe
