Northern Virginia saw yet another deadly shooting this week, this time taking place inside a gym.
On Monday August 19, Hyong Joon Choi, age 31, was working out at the Reston Gold’s Gym location when he was shot multiple times in what authorities believe was a targeted attack. He later died of his injuries, which came from the third such shooting at a gym in the Northern Virginia area in the past several months.
Steve Ha, the 43-year-old suspect from Chantilly, fled the scene after firing the shots shortly after one o’clock in the afternoon. He was taken into custody less than eight hours later. Locals were reportedly “shocked” by the incident, with one gym member who recently came to the Reston area lamented that it occurred in what was described as among “the safest area I’ve seen.”
Matt Clifford, the CEO of Gold’s Gym in the Metro D.C. region, released a statement that expressed how “grateful” the company is to police for “quickly apprehending the suspect” and shared “thoughts” for the victim’s family in “this difficult time.” He added that, following the incident, the gym confirmed both the victim and the shooter were members who had adhered to protocol of “scanning their membership” passes prior to coming into the building to work out.
Fairfax County Police responded to a 911 call on Monday afternoon, which originated from the VY Reston Heights apartment complex, where the gym is located. The call reported hearing gunshots. At the time, an officer told the public that all they knew was that there was someone “in a dark shirt” leaving the gym and another person shot inside.
Hours after being taken to a nearby hospital, Fairfax County Police Captain Kent Bailey announced in a press conference that Choi had died from his injuries. He also revealed in the briefing that up to six shots were fired and noted that he was only able to confirm, at the time, that the victim was struck in his upper body. Initial investigative reports determined that Choi and Ha were both working out when the latter “approached” the victim in a “targeted stance” before shooting him.
According to Bailey, the incident is not believed to be random violence that happened to take place at the Reston gym, but is rather understood as an “isolated, targeted incident.” However, police are still investigating the motive for the shooting.
Ha has been charged with second-degree murder and using a firearm to commit a felony. He is currently being detained at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. He is not eligible to be released on a bond, according to authorities.
Unfortunately, the Gold’s Gym shooting is not the first such incident to occur in Virginia in recent months. At the end of June, two people were killed after someone starting shooting in a OneLife Fitness location in Alexandria. Local police reported that one victim and the suspected shooter were both taken to the hospital, where they later died from their injuries.
Around 60 people were in the building when the shooting began, and they ran out exits in both the front and the back of the fitness center.
