ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A 16-year-old is in custody for the death of an Alexandria City High School student that was fatally stabbed during a brawl at the Bradlee Shopping Center on King St.
The teenage suspect is being held in the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center for the deadly stabbing.
The victim's father says that although someone is under arrest, he still needs more answers as to what led to the May 24 altercation that resulted in the killing of his 18-year-old son Luis Alejandro Mejia Hernandez.
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"No motive, no explanation, no explanation. That is what I need. What caused this? Why did it happen? They do not tell me anything," Osmin Mejia told WUSA9 in Spanish. The father says he has spent every day since the death of his son, reviewing videos of the fight to find some kind of answer.
Witnesses say between 30 to 50 teenagers were at the scene of the massive brawl. David Davis described a chaotic scene, "I mean, it was just a, a group of kids. To the escalation of some young men over here, throwing gang signs, you know, calling each other out and their names and this that and the other," said Davis to WUSA9 the day of the incident.
"Next thing you know, went from there to the bus stop, from the bus stop to the parking lot where a young man was expired," Davis added.
Osmin Mejia says his son was not involved in any type of gang activity.
"My son went to school and worked. He worked from Monday to Sunday, from 4 p.m. to midnight. He went to school from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.". Mejia says his son used the money to pay for his car. The vehicle is being held by Alexandria City Police as part of the ongoing investigation.
Mejia alleges that officers were on the scene of the shopping center before the stabbing.
"They were there. I have witnesses that they were on the scene," he said. "They could have dispersed the fight but they did not do it."
Alexandria City Police does not agree with Mejia's statements. They told WUS9 that they responded to multiple fights at the location and that their officers are still working hard in this active investigation.
On Wednesday evening a memorial service was held for Mejia Hernandez. Crowds of people lined up to say goodbye, including students, high school teachers, and school board members.
Mejia Hernandez's Alexandria City High School principal offered the young victim's father an emotional gift, his son's graduation cap he never got to wear.
“I didn’t even expect the teachers to come,” Meija told WUSA9 in Spanish. “It means a lot because it shows they appreciated him.”
Mejia Hernandez's body will be sent to El Salvador so that his biological mother can bid her last farewell to her son.
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