In the late afternoon of Thanksgiving Day on November 28, 2019, a burst of violence shattered the holiday peace in a Springfield, Virginia neighborhood. Responding to reports of gunshots in the 6100 block of Dinwiddie Street, Fairfax County police officers arrived to find a man suffering from trauma to his upper body. The injured man was identified as 30-year-old Ever Deras-Borjas of Springfield.
First responders administered aid at the scene before rushing him to a nearby hospital, but his injuries proved too severe, and he succumbed to them later that day. An autopsy would later be performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to officially determine the cause and manner of his death.
The investigation into the shooting began immediately, with detectives from the Major Crimes Bureau processing evidence and speaking with witnesses. It did not take long for authorities to determine that the shooting was not a random act of violence. Investigators believed that Deras-Borjas knew his attacker. A preliminary description of the suspect was released to the public, describing him as a Hispanic teenager, approximately 5-foot-7, who was seen wearing a white jacket and dark pants at the time of the incident. While the police worked to identify the person responsible, victim specialists were assigned to support the family of Ever Deras-Borjas during their time of grief.
Believing the suspect had fled the state after the killing, detectives worked diligently to track his whereabouts. Their efforts paid off when they identified a 17-year-old male as the primary suspect. Investigators tracked the teenager to North Carolina. On December 6, 2019, just over a week after the fatal shooting, detectives from Fairfax County coordinated with the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office. The suspect was located and taken into custody without incident. Authorities in Virginia obtained felony petitions charging the teen with murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was held in custody in North Carolina awaiting extradition back to Fairfax County to face the charges.
