“Enough is enough” is a slogan adopted by many advocates for action to end gun violence, but with 290 school shootings in the U.S. since 2013 clearly we are to the point that the shootings that have occurred in schools and numerous locales are more than enough.

Last Wednesday started off as a usual day at the legislature with the added feature that it was Valentine’s Day with lots of red decorations in the hallways and an abundance of chocolate available. It was also the first day of Lent with ashes offered at several nearby churches.

The day took a sharp turn in the late afternoon as the news media brought early reports of another instance of school shootings; this time at a school in Parkland, Florida. The timing was critical in that the General Assembly had over the past several weeks defeated with minimal debate and consideration more than 30 bills intended to reduce gun violence. My bill for universal background checks was among those.

The process for considering these bills was the same for all of them regardless of their approach. In the House the bills were assigned to the Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee and then to a subcommittee on guns composed of six members–four of whom have perfect NRA ratings. The outcome of the hearings is predictable. The advocates make many good and passionate arguments on behalf of common sense gun violence prevention legislation.

The NRA representative states the organization’s opposition along with someone from the Virginia Citizens Defense League with little argument or comments. The vote is always two for and four against. As important as the bills are to many people they are defeated; four members of the House of Delegates with their minds already made up decide for all 100 members of the House. There are few voting records to check because most members never get the opportunity to vote on gun regulation issues.

The strong concern among members of the press and on social media makes it clear that the legislature is going to have to respond to gun violence issues. Unfortunately, the schedule for introducing new bills in this session has passed; otherwise bills would have been introduced in response to the Florida shootings. Legislators would have had to confront the reality that there has been more than enough gun violence.

A New York Times article offered some direction as to how legislatures might proceed. An article “How to Reduce Mass Shooting Deaths? Experts Say These Gun Laws Could Help” first appeared on October 5, 2017. It found that there is no way to eliminate the risk of mass shootings, “but there are a handful of policies that could reduce the likelihood of such events or reduce the number of people killed when such shootings do occur.” These include denying purchases by anyone convicted of certain felonies, universal background checks, limiting the sale of certain types of weapons and ammunition, and waiting periods for purchases.

In the next cycle of elections, positions of candidates on gun violence will play an even greater role in who gets elected. If minds of incumbents do not change, voters are likely to change their elected officials. The public has had more than enough.

Rahim Barak, a 58-year-old father of five, was killed by Taliban insurgents during a chaotic siege at Kabul’s largest hotel last month. It was the first time the U.S. citizen, who lived in Herndon for the last 17 years, visited his home country in 30 years.

Three other U.S. citizens were killed in the Jan. 20 attack. Insurgents stormed the Intercontinental Hotel, a prominent hilltop hotel often visited by foreign guests and envoys. Barak was found with a single gunshot to the head. Others were found with burnt bodies and missing body parts. Hundreds of other guests spend the night hiding in rooms, unsure if they would survive the night.

Minutes before the incident, Barak had taken a photo with two friends as they dined at the hotel. The picture is the last possession his family has of him when he was alive.

Political turmoil and conflict caused by the Soviet Union’s invasion of the Afghanistan pushed Barak to flee from his home. He sought refuge in Peshawar, Pakistan and came to the United States in the late 1980s to build a new life for himself and his family.

Leaving behind his studies in law, Barak took up a motley of jobs at a pizza restaurant, Dulles International Airport, Marriott and a movie theater, working long hours and six days a week at one point. Family members and friends remember him for his loving personality and generous nature.

Barak later married his wife of 22 years and had five children. The youngest is six. Most recently, he worked as a cab driver and a travel agent.

His eldest son, Fawad Barak, 21, describes his father as a “people’s champ” who was always ready to offer a helping hand and sacrificed his life “for the betterment of his family, children, and loved ones.”

“There were very few moments where he was able to enjoy the fruits of his labor but most of his life, especially since the war in Afghanistan, he aimed to seek a better life for his family and children,” his son said. “I remember my father would always tell me that the sweat, toil and tears that he put in for his family will soon be relieved when his eldest child graduated from college and so forth with his other children following his footsteps.”

His father’s dream is now coming close to reality. His eldest son is wrapping up his junior year at George Mason University. In meantime, his son hopes to pass down the dreams and passions that drove his father’s hard work to his siblings.

“I am blessed and grateful to have been in a presence of such a beautiful human being, and most of all for him to be my father will be the greatest honor bestowed upon me while I’m on this earth,” he said.

Barak is survived by five children and his wife. Hundreds attended funeral services at All Dulles Area Muslim Society center in Herndon several weeks ago. He was known for regularly attending pre-dawn prayers at the mosque.

“The amount of love and support from the community we have received and the attendance at his funeral services displays a true testament of his character and who he truly was,” his son said.

A LaunchGood campaign for the family has raised $11,343 since it was launched on Feb. 1.

Photos via Fawad Barak

Fairfax County Police are looking for a suspect in a shooting Wednesday night near Hunters Woods Village Center.

A 42-year-old man told police he was walking home from work in the 12000 block of Greywing Square about 10:45 p.m. when he heard gunshots.

The man then realized he had been shot in the upper body. He was taken to Reston Hospital, where he is being treated for non-life threatening injuries, said FCPD spokesman Don Gotthardt.

Police searched for the suspect, described by police as a thin black man wearing all black clothing, via helicopter, K9 and ground units.

The suspect has not been located, Gotthardt said Thursday morning. It is unknown if the suspect and victim know each other, he said.

The man who was shot and killed by a Fairfax County Sheriff’s Deputy on Monday night near Inova Fairfax Hospital appeared to be in a mental health crisis as he pulled a metal signpost out of the ground, striking a security officer and lunging at other authorities, Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roesller said.

The Sheriff’s Deputy who shot the man had tried to negotiate with him to put the sign post down, Roessler said at a Tuesday media briefing. When he was unable to diffuse the situation, he shot the man.

The man was immediately given first aid by officers at the scene. Fairfax County Fire Rescue personnel arrived and transported the man back to the hospital, where he died from his injuries about 4 a.m.

“This is a tragic loss of life and includes an event where someone else was injured,” Roessler said. “This is an active situation.”

Police have not identified the man, pending notification of next of kin. Roessler said he was a 29-year-old Hispanic man.

Here is what happened, according to police.

The man was released from Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he was being treated for an undisclosed issue, shortly before 10 p.m. Monday. He was escorted by security staff to a bus stop near the complex’s green garage. Read More

A man is dead after he was shot by a Fairfax County Sheriff’s Deputy outside of Inova Fairfax Hospital in late Monday, Fairfax County Police said.

About 10 p.m. Monday, hospital security called FCPD to report that a suspicious man “with some sort of edged weapon” was seen at a bus stop in the Falls Church area of the county outside the hospital’s green garage.

An on-duty deputy with the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office responded to the bus stop and located the suspicious man. FCPD said preliminary information suggests that the man threatened the deputy with an unidentified object, prompting the deputy to discharge his service weapon, striking the man.

Three Fairfax County police officers then arrived and immediately began to render aid to the injured person until rescue arrived. The man was transported to the hospital, where his injuries were originally said to be not life threatening.

The man, whose name has not yet been released, later died at the hospital, police said. FCPD will have an update on the incident at 11 a.m.

The deputy, whose name has also not been released, has been placed on administrative leave.

Police said there is no further threat to public safety and there are no other suspects.

Anyone who might have witnessed this incident is asked to contact the Fairfax County Police Department at 703-691-2131.

Fairfax County Police said there has been a second incident of a bullet being shot into a home in unincorporated Herndon.

Earlier this week, a shot was fired into the bedroom of a 9-year-old girl as she slept in her home in the 2100 block of Monaghan Drive in Herndon. The bullet was found in her mattress, police said.

On Friday at around 10:48 p.m., gunfire apparently was aimed at the same home. A man called police and said he was in his living room when he heard several gunshots.

Officers who processed the scene found that a bullet had penetrated into the residence. Police also found numerous bullet holes located on the exterior of the dwelling but had not entered into the home. There were no injuries, police said.

About 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, officers were still on scene and conducting their investigation when they heard several more gunshots coming from a nearby street. Additional officers and resources responded to check the area.

Officers are continuing their investigation, conducting a canvas, and increasing their presence in the area. There is no suspect information at this time and the investigation is ongoing, police said.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Crime Solvers electronically by visitingwww.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES(274637)** or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

Fairfax County Crime Solvers is seeking the public’s help in determining who shot at two buildings in separate incidents in the Herndon area of Fairfax County earlier this month.

The first incident occurred on Monday, Aug. 3, around 10 p.m. at a business in the 2200 block of Monroe Street.

The second incident occurred between the hours of 10 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4, and 8 a.m. on Wednesday, August 5, at a business in the 2200 block of Corporate Drive.

Another incident the same week was reported to Reston Now. Those bullet holes were were found in windows of a building in the 12000 block of Worldgate Drive, also in unincorporated Herndon.

In each incident, the business was closed. The suspect fired several shots, striking the front of each building and fled.

There have been additional incidents reported to the Town of Herndon Police Department as well.

Those incidents occurred during the overnight hours of Thursday, July 23 into Friday morning, July 24 and Tuesday, July 28 into Wednesday morning, July 29.

Detectives continue to follow up on leads in these cases and ask anyone with information to contact Crime Solvers. Tipsters may submit a tip electronically by visiting www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES(274637)** or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477).

A $100 to $1,000 cash reward will be paid for information that leads to an arrest and indictment in the Fairfax County incidents.

Photo: Bullet hole in office building/reader photo

A third man has been arrested following a robbery that ended with a man dead from a gunshot wound on May 17 in Reston.

Jalan Merrill, 21, of Herndon, was taken into custody by Fairfax County Police and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force Wednesday in Leesburg after a warrant had been issued for his arrest. He was charged with robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Merrill will be transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, police said.

Last week, police charged Eddie Rodriquez, 22, of Woodbridge, and South Lakes High School student Dominique May, 18, of Reston, with robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Police said all three men were at an apartment in the 11600 block of Stoneview Square on the afternoon of Sunday, May 17. Police said there was a gathering of men in an apartment, there was a robbery attempt and an altercation that ended with 24-year-old Rashad Kejuan Daye, of the Herndon area, being shot and killed.

Daye, whom acquaintances said usually went by his middle name Kejuan, was one of the visitors to the Stoneview Square apartment, police said.

Fairfax County Police say the man who was killed in the Sunday afternoon robbery attempt in Reston is Rashad Kejuan Daye, 24, of the Herndon area.

Daye, whom acquaintances said usually went by his middle name Kejuan, was one of the visitors to the Stoneview Square apartment.

The incident occurred in the 11600 block of Stoneview Square about 2:50 p.m. on Sunday. Police said there was a gathering of men in an apartment, there was a robbery attempt and an altercation, and Daye was a killed. Another man was injured when a bullet grazed him.

Police have arrested two men and charged them with attempted robbery and use of firearm in commission of a felony: Eddie Rodriquez, 22, of Woodbridge and Dominique May, 18, of Reston.

May is a student at South Lakes High School, FCPS officials confirmed Monday.

The investigation is continuing and additional charges may be placed in the case as detectives proceed, police said.

Police originally said the incident was a home invasion that ended in a shooting, though the suspects and victim knew one another. They later corrected it to a robbery attempt.

Photos: Top, Eddie Rodriguez; Bottom, Dominique May /Credit: FCPD

Fairfax County Police say the incident that resulted in a shooting death Sunday in Reston was not a home invasion, as they initially reported.

Detectives said the shooting, which took place about 2:50 p.m. on Sunday at the 11600 block of Stoneview Square and Shadowood Condos, took place after a gathering of men ended in a robbery attempt, an altercation and the shooting death of a 24-year-old Reston man.

Originally, police said the incident stemmed from a home invasion (though the residents and the suspect knew one another) and that they were looking for two suspects who fled the scene.

By Sunday evening, police said they were no longer looking for two additional suspects.

In addition to the fatality, another man was injured when he was grazed by a bullet, police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell said. His injuries are not life-threatening.

Police have recovered the weapons, said Caldwell. She said multiple shots were fired.

Police are still investigating. They have not released the name of the man who was killed or identified whether anyone has been charged.

There has not been a homicide in Reston since 2013. There were two that year, but both stemmed from domestic incidents.

Photo: Police tape at Stoneview Square crime scene Sunday.

Update, 7 p.m. Sunday — Fairfax County Police say one man was killed and another injured in a home invasion robbery on Stoneview Square in Shadowood Condos on Sunday afternoon.

Police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell said police are no longer pursuing two male suspects who they originally thought fled the scene.

“Some people came forward that may have been involved,” said Caldwell. “Police are not actively driving around looking for suspects. But anyone who has information, we would like to talk to you.”

Caldwell said police believe the incident was not random and “at least one of the persons in the home knew the people at the door.”

Initial reports indicated that five men entered an apartment and engaged in some sort of disagreement, police said. There were at least two men at home in the apartment.

Police have recovered the weapons, said Caldwell. She said multiple shots were fired. The injured person was grazed by a bullet and is being treated for non life-threatening injuries, she added.

“We are still trying to determine who shot whom and what the circumstances were,” she said.

Original story, Sunday 5:30 p.m. — Fairfax County Police are searching for two suspects in a Sunday afternoon home invasion in Reston that ended with a fatal shooting.

The incident occurred in the 11600 block of Stoneview Square about 3 p.m., police said.

Police spokesman Lucy Caldwell said the incident did not appear random and the suspect and victims knew one another. The homeowner was not harmed, police said.

Police said one of the suspects was killed and one captured. Two suspects remained at large as of 5 p.m.

The suspects at large are described as two black males between 19-25 years old, police said. One was wearing a red/white/blue hat. The other had a medium afro.

The fatality will be Reston’s first homicide since 2013.

Police have not identified the deceased or the captured suspect.

Reston Now will have more details as they occur.

Fairfax County Police have charged Stephen Thompson, 29, with malicious wounding after he allegedly shot his wife in an argument at their Reston home early Thursday.

Police said that Thompson shot his 33-year-old wife and then himself. Both remain hospitalized. Thompson was served the warrant in the hospital, where he is in non-life threatening condition.

His wife, whom police did not identify, remains in life-threatening condition.

Police were called to the home in the 2300 block of Branleigh Park Court near Hunters Woods Village Center about 2:30 a.m.Thursday after someone called 911.

Both Thompson and his wife were found with gunshot wounds and were taken to a local hospital