Re: Justin Wolfe
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OFFICAL NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
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Date: November 11, 2014 11:19PM
lice investigate possible drug link, search for suspect
Police are searching for a Fairfax man in connection with the March 15 shooting death of a former Centreville resident.
Daniel "Danny" R. Petrole Jr., 21, was found dead at about 11 p.m. March 15 by Prince William County police responding to reports of a shooting at his home, 12469 Hadrian Court, in Bristow.
Petrole, who was described by friends and family as loving and "extremely generous," died at the scene of gunshot wounds. Police found Petrole in his car, parked in front of his Prince William home.
Officer Dennis Mangan, police spokesman, said police have warrants charging Owen Merton Barber IV with murder and use of a firearm while committing a felony.
Barber, whose last known address is in Chantilly, is described as a white male with brown hair and hazel eyes, possibly wearing glasses.
The 21-year-old is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs about 175 pounds. He was last seen driving a dark gray 1993 two-door Honda Civic with Virginia license plate YKA-4190.
When asked how Barber was connected to Petrole's death, Mangan said they had located the red car seen leaving the scene and the gun found near the scene and "all that put together led us to the suspect." The suspect was also connected through "physical evidence" at the crime scene.
Mangan said officers are investigating whether drugs played a role in the shooting.
A search of Petrole's house turned up more than $50,000 in cash, more than 50 pounds of marijuana and about 1,000 Ecstasy pills, Mangan said.
Petrole's roommate, Walter Paul Gunning Jr., 22, was arrested in Fairfax County on Prince William warrants for two counts of possession with intent to distribute.
Mangan said officers do not believe Gunning was involved in the shooting. No other arrests have been made in connection to this case. Mangan added that the case is ongoing and further charges may follow.
According to court records, the red car seen fleeing the scene made a U-turn on Braemar Parkway, and officers later found a 9 mm handgun in the intersection of Braemar Parkway and Burghead Drive.
The gun, which had a scratched serial number, has not been positively connected to Petrole's death.
Court records indicate police took the gun to a lab and "raised" the serial number. Ownership of the gun was traced to a Centreville woman who told officers she had not seen the gun since she left her then-husband last July, court records show.
The woman said she had reported the missing gun to Fairfax County officers after her ex-husband told her he had gotten rid of the gun.
She also told police her ex-husband sold marijuana and often used the gun while collecting money owed him for drugs and allowed friends to use the gun to collect drug debts, according to court records.
The ex-husband has not been charged with any crime in the case. He told investigators he had several parties last summer and afterward noticed the gun was missing but did not think it worthwhile to report it, according to court records.
At the time of his death, Petrole was working part-time at Secret Garden Florist in Herndon and studying business at Northern Virginia Community College.
He was a 1998 graduate of Centreville High School and attended Marshall University in West Virginia.
Born Oct. 26, 1979, Petrole was the oldest of three sons of Jane A. and Daniel R. Petrole, of Virginia Run in Centreville, where Petrole grew up. Petrole's father is an agent with the Secret Service, and his mother was a pre-school teacher for many years.
In addition to his parents, Petrole is survived by his brothers, Johnny and Bobby Petrole, both of Centreville, and his grandparents, Doris and Bob Petrole, of Naples, Fla. He is also survived by his girlfriend of eight years Jenny Scott, of Fairfax, whom he dated since they were in eighth-grade.
Jane Petrole, when reached by phone at her home Monday, said her son was an avid soccer player and an active member of Centreville Presbyterian Church.
She said he also loved the outdoors and volunteered at Miriam's Kitchen, a soup kitchen in Washington, D.C.
"He just had the biggest heart in the world," she said.
Petrole's aunt Jo Little, who lives in Tennessee, said she spent several years living with her sister Jane, and, to her, Petrole was like a little brother.
The last time Little saw him was Thanksgiving, and he was gathering a food basket for a needy family.
Instead of a bag of food, "Danny bought a month's worth of groceries for their Thanksgiving basket. Ten or 15 bags of groceries.
"That was his nature," Little said. "We're all just devastated [by his death]."
When asked how the family was dealing with the death of Petrole, his uncle Jim Little said they were relying on a whole network of friends and family.
But, Little said, the fact that Petrole always told his family how much he appreciated them is a help.
"I was always taken aback by how easily and freely he told people he loved them," Little said.
Another friend of the family who had known Petrole since kindergarten spoke of his warm smile and wonderful sense of humor.
"He had the sweetest heart you could imagine," said the woman, who asked to be identified as Claire.