On the night of February 21, 2022, in Centreville, Virginia, 37-year-old Amaru Amin Shabazz, a male resident of Leesburg, was visiting a townhouse in the 14800 block of Bodley Square. An altercation broke out inside the home, leading to a fatal shooting. Police were called to the scene around 10 p.m. and found Shabazz inside, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Despite the response from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators with the Fairfax County Police Department's Major Crimes Bureau determined the shooting was not a random act. Multiple firearms were recovered from the residence, and it was evident that numerous rounds had been fired. A witness reported seeing a man fleeing the home after the gunshots were heard. The investigation pointed to 31-year-old Richard Kenneth Pearson IV, a resident of Falls Church, as the primary suspect. Detectives determined that Pearson was present at the Centreville home on the night of the shooting and had shot Shabazz multiple times before leaving the scene.
Following an investigation that included numerous interviews and a review of evidence, detectives obtained a warrant for Pearson's arrest on March 3, 2022. The following day, on March 4, members of the Fugitive Track and Apprehension Squad located and arrested Pearson. He was charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Richard Kenneth Pearson IV was subsequently taken to the Adult Detention Center, where he was held without bond. Victim specialists from the Major Crimes Bureau's Victim Services Division were assigned to assist Shabazz's family.
