Arlington Deputy to Face Grand Jury in Shooting Death of Alexandria Man

Craig Patterson, an Arlington County sheriff’s deputy facing first-degree murder charges in the death of  Alexandria resident Julian Dawkins, will face a grand jury after a judge said Tuesday there is probable cause in the case, according to WJLA.

During Tuesday’s hearing, a recording of Patterson’s 911 call was played for the first time.

“I had a young man pull a knife on me and I shot him,” Patterson said in the call to a dispatcher, according to the Washington Post.

Dawkins, 22, was shot in the chest early in the morning of May 22 in Alexandria’s Lynhaven neighborhood. He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Patterson was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the incident on May 29.

During initial court proceedings on May 30, Commonwealth's Attorney Randy Sengel said witnesses heard Patterson and Dawkins arguing. Witnesses then saw Patterson, who was off-duty at the time, walk away from the argument, Sengel said, then return with his badge, gun and handcuffs.

Witnesses reported hearing one gunshot, Sengel said. Dawkins was found shot in the chest.

A witness for the defense testified Tuesday that Dawkins chased Patterson down the street before Patterson returned with his gun, according to the Washington Post. Patterson may have seen Dawkins with a knife and felt the young man was a “danger,” Patterson’s defense attorney said, according to the Post report.

The attorney also said Dawkins had a blood alcohol level of 0.15.

Examiners found a knife folded closed in Dawkins’ pocket. Sengel said in May that medical analysis determined Dawkins would not have been able to fold the knife and place it in his pocket after he was shot.

Patterson’s defense attorneys suggested he shot Dawkins in self-defense at a bond hearing earlier this month. The 44-year-old deputy, who has been placed on unpaid leave, has been denied bond twice. 

Last week, Alexandria District Court Judge Becky Moore blocked a request for cameras in the courtroom for the case.

Dawkins, a T.C. Williams High School graduate and shuttle driver for PBS NewsHour, was in the same third-grade class in 2000 as Kevin Shifflett, the victim of one of the most grisly crimes in the Alexandria’s history.