ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Public Information Office
2003 Mill Road
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
(703) 838-4636
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 22, 2002
Alexandria Stabbing Victim Dies;
Homeless Man Becomes First Homicide Victim This Year
The victim of a stabbing two weeks ago died at Fairfax Hospital this past weekend. Kevin Lavon Friend, a 45-year-old man with no fixed address, was stabbed in the chest just after 11 p.m., on Tuesday, May 7, near the corner of Edsall Road and South Reynolds Street.
The victim was flown to Fairfax Hospital and underwent emergency surgery. His condition later stabilized but he developed a blood clot and died. He was pronounced dead at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. An autopsy performed on Monday, May 20, confirmed that the cause of death was directly related to stab wounds that Mr. Friend had sustained. The case has been ruled a homicide.
No arrest has been made in this case, and detectives are investigating the possibility that the suspect may be an acquaintance of the victim. Initial investigation revealed that Mr. Friend and another man had been arguing and then began to fight. After the victim was stabbed, the suspect fled from the area. A passer-by observed the victim lying in the 5700 block of Edsall Road, just west of the intersection with South Reynolds Street, and immediately notified an off-duty police officer who was nearby.
This is the first homicide in Alexandria this year. Of the three murders in Alexandria last year, one remains under investigation.
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