3 dead, 3 hurt in linked Manassas, Va., attacks

[February 11, 2011]  MANASSAS, Va. (AP) -- A pair of attacks just blocks apart has left three people dead and three others injured in a Virginia suburb of Washington and a man described as a person of interest was being questioned in both, authorities said.

Two people were fatally shot and two others were hurt about 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Georgetown South neighborhood of Manassas, city police spokesman Sgt. Tim Neumann said. About 20 minutes later, police were called to another home about a quarter-mile away where one person had been killed and another had been injured with a knife or machete. Police do not believe the attacks were random and Neumann said the man being questioned is familiar with both families involved. He said the man was picked up during a traffic stop. Police did not release his name. A helicopter airlifted one of the victims from nearby Osbourn High School, The News & Messenger reported. The first shooting involved members of a well-liked family who have lived for more than 20 years in the city of about 36,500 people, the newspaper reported. [Associated Press] Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.