Three children were inside the Sharps Drive home during the shooting but were not physically injured, Fairfax County police said.
CENTREVILLE, VA — A husband and wife were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds inside their Centreville home Wednesday evening in what Fairfax County police are investigating as a domestic-related murder-suicide.
Police identified the couple as Brandon Brown, 31, and his wife, Lavinia Brown, 31, both of Centreville. Detectives preliminarily believe Brandon Brown shot his wife before shooting himself, the Fairfax County Police Department said Thursday. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is expected to conduct autopsies to formally determine the cause and manner of both deaths.
Officers were sent to a residence in the 6300 block of Sharps Drive at about 5:30 p.m. Sept. 9 after a shooting was reported. Initial police briefings said a family member who lived at the residence called 911. Officers entered the home and found the husband and wife suffering from gunshot wounds. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue personnel pronounced both dead at the scene.
Detectives recovered a firearm and cartridge casings from the residence, police said. Authorities have not released additional details about what investigators believe led to the shooting, and no motive has been publicly announced. The department described the deaths as domestic-related and said its findings remained preliminary as detectives continued reviewing the circumstances.
Three children who also lived at the home were inside when the shooting occurred, according to police. None was physically injured. Authorities did not release their ages or identify them, and early reports said family members were caring for the children after the deaths.
Officer Ingrid Palencia, a Fairfax County police public affairs officer, told reporters during the initial response that there was no continuing threat to the public and that the people involved in the shooting had been accounted for. Police maintained a presence in the Centreville neighborhood as detectives processed the residence and gathered evidence.
“Something devastating has occurred in this neighborhood,” Palencia said during the initial briefing. She said the department’s victim services advocates were working with the family to provide support following the deaths.
The police department released the names and its preliminary murder-suicide finding Thursday, a day after officers first responded to the home. Investigators have not announced evidence suggesting another person was involved, and no additional physical injuries were reported among the children or other people at the residence.
The investigation remains active while detectives await findings from the medical examiner and continue reviewing evidence from the home. Police have not announced further investigative conclusions beyond their preliminary finding that Brandon Brown shot Lavinia Brown and then himself.
Author note: Last updated September 11, 2026.