On a summer evening in Dumfries, Virginia, James Edward Grooms, a 32-year-old male, tragically lost his life in a violent encounter. On July 20, 2019, in the vicinity of Buell Court and Old Triangle Road, what was supposed to be a marijuana transaction took a deadly turn. Grooms had made arrangements to purchase the substance, but the meeting was a setup for a robbery that would ultimately end in his fatal shooting.
When officers arrived at the scene around 9:43 p.m., they discovered Grooms suffering from gunshot wounds. He was quickly transported to a nearby hospital, but his injuries proved to be too severe, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the death of James Edward Grooms led Prince William County police to identify several individuals connected to the planned drug deal and subsequent robbery. In the days and weeks that followed, a series of arrests were made with the assistance of the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force. Two brothers from Falls Church, 28-year-old Walter Aristides Guevara-Perez and 23-year-old Alexis Vladimir Guevara-Perez, were taken into custody and charged with conspiracy to violate Virginia's Drug Control Act.
Further investigation led to the apprehension of two more suspects from Dumfries. Shawn Deion Brown Jr., who was 21 at the time, and 19-year-old Joshua Eduardo Hurtado, were both charged with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit a felony in connection with the fatal shooting. The collaborative efforts of law enforcement brought all four individuals believed to be involved in the incident into custody, shedding light on the circumstances that led to the untimely death of James Edward Grooms.
