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Fairfax County police have identified the man fatally shot by an officer Monday morning after he allegedly killed his wife and daughter and critically wounded his son-in-law inside a Mantua apartment.
Police said Chhatra Thapa, 54, fatally stabbed his wife, 52-year-old Binda, and daughter, 33-year-old Mamta. An officer then found Chhatra kneeling over his son-in-law and stabbing him before shooting Chhatra, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Binda and Mamta were taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. The son-in-law remained hospitalized with life-threatening injuries as of Wednesday.
Officers also discovered a 1-year-old boy—the child of Mamta and the wounded man—inside the apartment. He was taken into protective custody.
Police responded at about 5 a.m. Monday to a reported domestic assault in the 3900 block of Persimmon Drive. They encountered one wounded woman outside before entering the apartment, where they found Chhatra armed with a curved 10-inch knife and attacking his son-in-law. The second wounded woman was also inside.
According to police, the son-in-law had been outside clearing snow when he heard a disturbance and rushed back into the apartment. He called 911 after finding that his wife had already been stabbed and seeing Chhatra stabbing Binda, Police Chief Kevin Davis said.
Chhatra then turned the knife on his son-in-law, Davis said, describing the attack as a man “butchering his family.”
The officer who shot Chhatra is a 2½-year department veteran assigned to the Mason Police District. He has been placed on restricted duty while criminal and administrative investigations proceed.
The Major Crimes Bureau is investigating the use of force, while the Internal Affairs Bureau is conducting a separate administrative inquiry that will undergo an independent review.
Police said the officer’s name will be released within 10 days of the shooting. Body-camera footage is expected to be made public within 30 days.