Evin Alberto Herrera Campos, 16, a student at Herndon High School, was shot and killed the evening of Oct. 15.
Fairfax County police arrested a juvenile suspect in the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Evin Alberto Herrera Campos, a student at Herndon High School, who was shot and killed the evening of Oct. 15.
On Oct. 25, detectives from the FCPD's Reston District Station obtained felony petitions for second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and shooting from a vehicle. for the male suspect, who was held at the Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Center.
The victim in the fatal shooting, which occurred Oct. 15 in the 13000 block of Parcher Avenue in the
Hutchison Park, the site of the fatal shooting, is owned by the Fairfax County Park Authority and located at 13209 Parcher Ave. in Herndon.
The victim's father alleged, during an Oct. 20 interview with The Connection at the family's home, that school officials and the FCPD school resource officer (SRO) at Herndon High, failed to act on his reports of death threats against his son in the weeks leading up to the attack.
The father, who requested anonymity for fear of his and his family's safety, contended that his son's death was preventable. During the nearly 90-minute interview, father broke down in tears on multiple occasions, as did his wife, who sat beside him. He wrote his son’s full name and age, “Evin Alberto Herrera Campos, 16,” and the name of his son’s mother, who lives in Honduras, on a piece of paper, with permission to print.
During the interview, the father spoke about his son, the events leading up to the fatal incident and the aftermath. He said that his son was a smart student with good grades. He was a dedicated soccer player. Alberto was on a U.S. immigration path toward residency, working with an attorney. But Alberto had been receiving repeated cyber and in-person death threats for weeks.
The threats included the chilling predictions that Alberto would be killed, but "not on school grounds," and that he would not live "to see his green card." Photographic evidence of the intimidating text messages on Alberto's cell phone were first shared by Alberto in mid-September, according to his father.
The father said he contacted a school liaison, “the person who connects the school and the family,” twice in the weeks before the shooting to report the threats, in mid-September and two weeks later. The father said that he spoke with her on the phone and was told the SRO was unavailable, that he was responsible for the school's estimated 2,500 students, and that he would contact the father when he could. The father said he never received any follow-up response from school staff or the SRO.
All SROs in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) are specially trained law enforcement officers of the Fairfax County Police Department.
When asked to confirm details, FCPS provided comment on Oct. 22: “The team at Herndon High School continues to provide appropriate crisis team support to students and staff. … Any other questions regarding the investigation should be directed to the Fairfax County Police Department.”
The FCPD has not responded to requests for comment on the matter.
The fatal attack occurred at Hutchison Park, a Fairfax County Park Authority soccer field outside the town limits of Herndon, on the night of Wednesday, Oct. 15. Alberto lived with his father, stepmother, and three siblings.
During the interview, the father described the night of the shooting and the immediate aftermath. That evening, Alberto told him he was going to the soccer field with two friends. The father recalled saying to Alberto, “Son, come back home soon, because you know how I feel when you're outside in the dark. I don’t want you to be home too late.” The father said Alberto left home around 5:30 p.m.
The father confirmed receiving a text from his son's phone at 8:39 p.m., stating he was on his way home. Shortly afterward, a family friend who had driven past the soccer field called Alberto’s step mother. The caller reported something was going on and there was "a police presence at the soccer field." She asked about Alberto’s whereabouts. The father said he walked the route to and from the soccer field, even went into the nearby 7-Eleven and Taco Bell, but could not find his son.
According to an FCPD news release posted Oct. 16, officers responded to the 13000 block of Parcher Avenue at 9:31 p.m., where they located an unresponsive male with a fatal gunshot wound to his lower body. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said in the release, "Preliminarily, this does not appear to be a random act."
Police arrived at their home around 10:30 p.m. and instructed him to accompany them to the station, Alberto’s father said. He said he was left waiting, unaware of his son’s fate and without an interpreter. At approximately 3 a.m., he said that the police told him that Alberto was dead.
The father said based on information the police shared with him, the shooting was a targeted drive-by attack, and that multiple people were involved.
The human cost of the tragedy is evident in the father's reflections and the family’s immediate displacement. During the interview held at the family’s home, he spoke about his son, saying that Alberto was smart and, upon entering high school, was able to skip his first year and enter as a sophomore because he was advanced. He said his son was dedicated to soccer and loved the sport, hoping to go professional after graduation and, at some point, return to Honduras and help his community there. The father also shared that Alberto’s two youngest stepsiblings keep calling out his name when the door opens, unaware of his death. His older stepsibling understands what has happened.
The immediate tragedy has been compounded by displacement. The father said that the landlord told them to move, citing the neighbors' discomfort. The family of five now — the father, his wife, and their three young children, ages 2 to 10 — is preparing to vacate their rented townhome immediately. Packing materials, filled to their brims, stood in the corner of the living room, but the framed family photos remained on the wall behind the couch. He said they are all sleeping together in one room, on floor mats. “No one feels safe; no one is sleeping,” the father said.
Looking forward, Alberto’s funeral arrangements remain pending locally. Efforts are underway to repatriate his body for burial to Honduras to be with his mother, who lives there. The nonprofit New Virginia Majority has established a fundraiser, capping the amount raised to cover the costs of the final arrangements.
School Resource Officers in Fairfax County
SROs in Fairfax County Public Schools are certified law enforcement officers of the Fairfax County Police Department assigned primarily to high and middle schools. SROs are specially trained and remain under the FCPD's control.
SROs are generally instructed not to enforce school rules or disciplinary infractions that are not violations of the law. They are directed to collaborate with school administrators to support positive school climates focused on conflict resolution and to seek alternative means to address issues, rather than resorting to arrest when appropriate.