Police are searching for a Nissan and its driver after a military couple were shot and killed outside their home in Virginia, authorities said Wednesday.
Edward McDaniel, 55, and Brenda McDaniel, 63, were fatally shot in the 8000 block of Flint Street in Springfield, an area just southwest of Washington, D.C., according to Fairfax County Police. Both were military veterans. The husband was an active-duty colonel in the U.S. Army, NBC Washington reported.
"They were tragically and horribly murdered in their neighborhood," Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin David said during a news conference on Wednesday.
The motive was unclear, but authorities said they believe the tragedy was related to a burglary at their home on Monday. A preliminary investigation suggests the person who broke into the residence earlier this week is the suspect in the shooting, according to police. Officials have not specified what evidence led them to draw that conclusion.
However, Davis said police also believe the shooter was known to a relative of the military couple.
Officers responded to a 911 call about 9:20 a.m. ET at the residence, according to police. Authorities found the bodies of the two victims in their front yard, both with multiple gunshot wounds.
At least two people were inside the home at the time of the shooting, police said.
Investigators are searching for a light-colored 2018 Nissan Altima with Maryland license plate number 1EF1479. A $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to the suspect's arrest.
The deaths of the McDaniel couple marked the ninth and tenth homicides in Fairfax County this year.
