In the early morning hours of May 20, 2016, a promising life was tragically cut short in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County, Virginia. Tarreece John Sampson, a 24-year-old male, was found unresponsive in the parking lot of the Cityside Huntington Metro Apartment complex in the 6000 block of Richmond Highway. He had sustained a gunshot wound to his upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. At the time of his death, Sampson was a dedicated employee of Fairfax County Public Schools, working as an instructional aide at Fort Hunt Elementary School, and was on the cusp of realizing his dream to become a special-education teacher.
The investigation into Sampson's death unfolded over several years, a testament to the dedication of the Major Crimes Division detectives. Early in the investigation, police released a sketch of a woman who was seen in the area prior to the homicide, hoping she might have crucial information. A significant breakthrough in the case came from a friend of Sampson's who was on the phone with him at the time of the shooting. The friend recounted hearing Sampson ask someone, 'Hey, are you good?' followed by a single gunshot. Sampson's final words to his friend were, 'I've been shot.' Detectives came to believe that Sampson had tragically stumbled upon two individuals who were breaking into cars in the apartment complex parking lot. It appears to have been a random and fatal encounter, as investigators believe Sampson did not know his assailants.
After a lengthy and meticulous investigation, two suspects from Washington, D.C. were identified and taken into custody. Charles Benson, 24 at the time of his arrest, was apprehended on September 4, 2018. His accomplice, 19-year-old Tre'Sur Hawkins, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in January 2019. Benson was also charged with first-degree murder. To preserve the integrity of the ongoing investigation and not compromise leads that eventually led to Hawkins, information about Benson's initial arrest was not immediately released to the public. The arrests brought a measure of resolution to a case that had deeply affected the community and the many lives Tarreece John Sampson had touched.
