Alexandria Police Chief: 'A Lot of Work Yet to be Done' in Kirby Homicide Investigation

Ronald Kirby, an influential transportation planner in the Washington region, was shot multiple times in the torso Monday morning inside his Elm Street home, Alexandria Police Chief Earl Cook said Tuesday during a briefing to members of the press.

“Obviously there’s a lot of work yet to be done,” said Cook, noting that the investigation was just 24 hours old and that police currently have no suspects.

Cook said Kirby was last seen early the morning he was killed.

The 69-year-old director of transportation planning at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments was found unconscious by a relative around 12:30 p.m. Monday. Police and EMS were called in and Kirby was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cook declined to say if anything of value was taken from the home. According to other media reports, there were no signs of forced entry.

Cook added that the investigation does not indicate reasons for neighbors to be concerned about more violence in the area.

“It is a pretty quiet and stable community,” Cook said. “A safe community.”

Cook urged anyone with information about the case, anyone who may have recently spoken with Kirby or who knew of any reason someone would have wanted to harm Kirby to contact the police department’s Criminal Investigations Section at 703-746-6711.

On Tuesday afternoon, two Alexandria police cruisers remained outside Kirby's house in the 200 block of Elm Street in the shadow of the George Washington Masonic Memorial.  

Kirby’s death is the fifth homicide in Alexandria in 2013. The city experienced a homicide-free calendar year in 2012.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is a regional organization made up of representatives from 18 Washington-area municipalities. 

Kirby was responsible for supervising ongoing transportation projects, including planning for highway and public transit systems in the region and assessing the air quality implications of transportation programs. Kirby was also involved in airport systems planning for the region.

“Dr. Kirby, one of the region’s leading experts on transportation planning, was a key figure in all aspects of our work on regional planning and collaboration," COG Executive Director Chuck Bean wrote in a written statement. "He guided the work of the Transportation Planning Board for more than 26 years. His deep knowledge and wise counsel assisted local, state and national officials in reaching consensus on the major transportation issues over the years. 

“More importantly, he was a trusted colleague and a dear friend to all of us at the Council and his associates around the region.  We extend our deepest sympathy to his family at this difficult time.”

A native of Adelaide, South Australia, Kirby graduated with a degree in mathematics from the University of Adelaide in 1963. He went on to earn a doctorate from the university.

Kirby joined MWCOG in 1987.