ASHBURN, Va. — The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday that an arrest has been made in the shooting death of 19-year-old Michai Dandridge-Carter on Valentine’s Day.
Editor's Note: The video above aired on Feb. 15, 2024.
Rashaun Owens was wanted on charges of second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and attempted robbery with a firearm.
Dandridge-Carter was found shot and killed in the parking lot of Ashburn Meadows. Deputies responded to reports of gunshots fired and a “pedestrian struck.” Witnesses said they saw his body next to a white car for several hours.
Investigators haven’t released if the suspect and victim knew each other, nor what led up to the shooting.
“All I know is that it was an attempted robbery,” Dandridge-Carter’s grandfather Chet Lutz told WUSA9 earlier in the day on Monday. “I think it was random. He was very much loved. He was an outgoing and polite kid. From everything I’ve heard, everyone loved Michai.”
Lutz said his grandson lived with him since he graduated from Potomac Falls High School. He last saw Dandridge-Carter on Valentine’s Day when he drove away in his mother’s white car, which he said was the same vehicle found at the scene.
He said his grandson was studying HVAC at Northern Virginia Community College. He was also a manager at a nearby Wegmans and worked for the grocery delivery app, Instacart.
“You watch the news, and you see so much violence on the news and when it hits so close to home, it's overwhelming,” Lutz said. “I was in shock. I felt like I was dreaming. It was just unbelievable when it happened.”
Before the arrest was announced, Lutz said, “You took my heart away from me and I wish you would turn yourself in so my family can have peace."
That's what Owens did. The sheriff's office said he turned himself in on Monday afternoon.
The company Lutz works for created a GoFundMe to help raise money for the family.
The LCSO is asking anyone with information to please contact Detective K. Mitchell at 703-777-1021. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are asked to call 703-777-1919 or submit a tip through the LCSO app.
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