ARLINGTON, Virginia — Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who was the second Black American to hold that office in the state, fatally shot his estranged wife, Cerina Fairfax, and then himself at their home, police said.
The couple’s two teenage children were at the Annandale home, just outside of Washington, at the time, and their son was the one who placed a 911 call shortly after midnight, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said at a news conference on Thursday.
“So tragic for the children to lose both parents, extra tragic for them to actually be in the home when it occurred,” Davis said. “Certainly a fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had a lot of things going in their favor.”
March for Our Lives, an organization that advocates for gun control, issued a statement on the death of Cerina Fairfax and the dangers facing Black women when it comes to firearms.
“This loss is made even more alarming as it comes directly on the heels of the shooting death of Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer at the hands of her husband,” said Jaclyn Corin, the group’s executive director. “For Black women in particular, incidents of gun-related domestic violence are too often invisible in public discourse. They are disproportionately affected, yet persistently overlooked in a gun violence epidemic that fails to center their experiences and safety.”
A Democrat, Justin Fairfax vied for the Virginia governorship in 2021, finishing fourth in the primary. He was the lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 and faced sexual assault allegations from multiple women during his time in office.
The investigation is ongoing, but Davis said that Fairfax was recently served paperwork regarding his next court appearance for divorce proceedings and that the shooting seems to be the result of “a complicated or messy divorce.”
Who was Justin Fairfax?
He was the 41st lieutenant governor of Virginia, serving under Gov. Ralph Northam. Fairfax, 47, was the second Black American in the state’s history to hold the office. Douglas Wilder was the first; he served in the position from 1986 to 1990. Fairfax graduated from Duke University in 2000 and from Columbia Law School in 2005.
Fairfax faced sexual assault allegations from at least two women in 2019. Vanessa Tyson worked with him at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston and said that Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex at a hotel. He said that the encounter was consensual. Meredith Watson said that Fairfax assaulted her when they were students at Duke in 2000. He also denied this allegation. No criminal charges were filed.
Fairfax continued in his role as lieutenant governor after many called on him to step down. In 2021, during the first debate in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, he likened the calls for him to resign following the allegations to the killings of George Floyd and Emmett Till.
During his tenure as lieutenant governor, Fairfax worked alongside Northam to push for gun violence prevention laws. He referred to gun violence as a “national health crisis emergency,” saying that “we need to start acting like it.”
After leaving office, Fairfax returned to private law practice, according to Davis. He otherwise appeared to recede from the public eye. His Facebook page, from when he was running to be the governor of Virginia, says that he is the “Founder & Managing Member of The Law Office of Justin E. Fairfax, PLLC.”
Who was Cerina Fairfax?
She was a dentist at Dr. Fairfax & Associates Family Dentistry. The 49-year-old graduated from Duke in 1999 and from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College of Virginia School of Dentistry in 2005.
Cerina Faifax enjoyed “all fields of dentistry,” according to her website, and she was “committed to serving not only her patients but others as well through participation in community outreach programs, volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, vocational training programs, and contributions to local charities and nonprofits.”
The latest on the shooting
The shooting appeared to spring from an ongoing domestic dispute regarding divorce proceedings, according to Davis.
Cerina Fairfax filed for divorce on July 18, 2025. The Fairfax County Circuit Court says that the case is pending and that Justin Fairfax had been ordered to appear in court on April 21.
Davis said that Fairfax is believed to have shot his wife multiple times in the basement of their home before going upstairs and shooting himself in the main bedroom. The two were separated but living in the same home and sleeping in different bedrooms.
Responses from Virginia leaders
Attorney General Jay Jones: “Mavis and I are heartbroken by this tragedy. We are holding Cameron and Carys, along with their loved ones, in our prayers. No family and no child should have to experience this grief. We pray for peace and comfort during this devastating time,” he wrote on X.
House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott: “I am heartbroken by the deeply disturbing reports emerging this morning. This is an unspeakable tragedy — and our hearts are with the family, especially the children and the loved ones whose lives have been forever changed by this devastating loss,” he said in a statement.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger: “The murder of Dr. Cerina Fairfax in an apparent murder-suicide is a horrific tragedy. Dr. Fairfax was a devoted mother, beloved dentist in the Fairfax County community, and engaged supporter of her alma mater,” she said in a statement.
Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi: “Virginia woke up this morning to the devastating news regarding Cerina Fairfax and former Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax. My thoughts are with their children, loved ones, and numerous friends,” she said in a statement.
