On the morning of December 17, 2025, law enforcement officers in Reston, Virginia, rushed to a residence in the 12000 block of Fan Shell Court after receiving reports of gunfire shortly before noon. Upon entering the home, police discovered the body of 40-year-old Marvin Ernesto Morales, a male, who had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders, initiating a homicide investigation that disrupted the local community and placed nearby elementary
schools on a secure status while authorities searched for the shooter.
Detectives quickly identified the suspect as 23-year-old Marvin Fernando Morales-Ortez, who was determined to be the victim's roommate. The suspect had fled the residence immediately after the shooting, prompting a large-scale manhunt that utilized a police helicopter, drone units, and K9 teams to scour the surrounding neighborhoods. Approximately two hours after the initial call, officers located Morales-Ortez hiding in a wooded area near a creek about a mile from the crime scene. He was taken into custody without incident, and investigators recovered a firearm believed to have been used in the attack.
Following his arrest, Morales-Ortez was charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was subsequently held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. The investigation revealed that the suspect had been released from jail just one day prior to the shooting after previous charges of malicious wounding and brandishing a firearm were dropped due to a witness being unavailable. Additionally, federal prosecutors filed separate charges against him for possession of a firearm by a person unlawfully present in the United States, noting that he is a Salvadoran national who entered the country in 2016. Authorities also noted that an emergency custody order regarding his mental health had been issued following his release from jail but expired before police could locate him.
