Police say the suspect killed his wife and daughter, wounded his son-in-law and was shot by an officer who found the attack still happening.
MANTUA, Va. — A Virginia man who had stepped outside to clear snow from his car returned to his apartment and found his wife and mother-in-law being stabbed, then was attacked himself before police shot the suspect dead, authorities said.
The killings in Mantua left two women dead, one man critically injured and a 1-year-old child suddenly without both parents in the home. Investigators say the attacker was Chhatra Thapa, 54, who lived with his wife, daughter, son-in-law and grandson. The violence drew an immediate police response and set off a continuing review of the officer who fired the fatal shots as county officials work through both the homicide case and the use-of-force investigation.
According to Fairfax County police, the son-in-law was outside the apartment early on Feb. 23 clearing snow from his car when he heard a disturbance coming from inside. The family lived in the Margate Manor apartments in the 3900 block of Persimmon Drive. Chief Kevin Davis said the man called 911, and a neighbor also called after hearing commotion from the unit. The son-in-law then went back inside to investigate. Police say he found his wife, Mamta Thapa, 33, with multiple stab wounds. Davis said the man also saw his father-in-law attacking Binda Thapa, 52. Officers later described the weapon as a long curved knife that resembled a meat cleaver. In the next moments, police say, the suspect turned that blade on the son-in-law, changing the emergency from a domestic assault report into an active life-or-death struggle inside the apartment.
Fairfax officers reached the complex at about 5:06 a.m., according to the department. Investigators said they first located an adult woman suffering from stab wounds outside the apartment. When officers went in, they encountered Chhatra Thapa armed with the knife and kneeling over the son-in-law. They also found a second wounded woman inside. Davis said the lead officer repeatedly ordered the suspect to drop the weapon, but the stabbing continued. One officer then opened fire, striking Thapa multiple times in the upper body. Officers rendered aid until firefighters and medics arrived, but Thapa died at the scene. Mamta Thapa and Binda Thapa were taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead. The son-in-law was hospitalized in life-threatening condition. Police have not publicly released his name or described in detail the wounds he suffered. They also have not said what sparked the attack, and Davis told reporters that investigators still did not know what strife may have been unfolding in the family before the stabbings began.
The presence of a young child inside the apartment added another layer of grief to the case. Police said the 1-year-old boy was physically unharmed even though he was in the residence during the attack. Detectives took him into protective custody, and county workers coordinated with Child Protective Services to place him with family. The attack happened in a dense residential complex where neighbors could hear distress and see the police response build in the snow. Mantua is a quiet Fairfax County community, and the violence stood out for both its brutality and its speed. Davis later described the apartment as a scene of chaos and carnage. Local coverage from the first day reported that officers arrived while the attack was still actively unfolding, which is central to the department’s argument that the shooting stopped further bloodshed. That timeline also explains why the investigation is being watched closely both as a homicide case and as a test of how fast officers must judge danger in a confined indoor space.
Police named the officer who fired as PFC Nicholas Brazones, a Mason District officer with about 2.5 years on the job. Under department policy, he was placed on restricted duty after the shooting. The Major Crimes Bureau is handling the criminal investigation, while the Internal Affairs Bureau is conducting an administrative review. Police have said the criminal findings will be sent to the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney, and the administrative case will be subject to review by the Independent Police Auditor. The department said within days of the shooting that body-worn camera footage would be released within 30 days, and on March 19 officials published the video and said the investigation remained ongoing. That later release gave the public a fuller picture of the apartment entry and the commands officers gave, but it did not answer the deeper questions about motive, family history or whether there were warning signs before the attack.
For now, the story rests on a set of painful contrasts. The morning began with an ordinary winter task outside a parked car and ended with two deaths, a police shooting and a child carried out of a bloodied apartment. The son-in-law’s actions have become a central part of the case because he moved from the relative safety of the parking area back into the apartment after hearing distress. Police have framed that moment as the point when he tried to intervene and was nearly killed. Davis has said the officer’s response likely saved lives, but the county still must finish the formal reviews that follow any fatal police shooting. Those next steps matter not only for accountability, but also for the surviving family members trying to understand how a routine Monday morning collapsed into a family tragedy in a matter of minutes.
County officials had not released a final investigative finding by March 24, and the condition of the wounded son-in-law had not been publicly updated beyond his hospitalization. The next expected development is the close of the criminal and administrative reviews.
Author note: Last updated March 24, 2026.