Convicted Felon From Alexandria Faces Weapon Charges: FCPD

SPRINGFIELD, VA — Fairfax County police credited Operation Press Check, the department's initiative aimed at reducing illegal firearm possessions by convicted felons, for leading to the arrest of a 22-year-old Alexandria man on New Year's Day, authorities say.

Patrol officers and units from the county's fire and rescue department responded just after 1:30 p.m. for the report of an unconscious person near the entrance of a business in the 7000 block of Old Keene Mill Road, according to the incident report.

Approaching the unconscious man, officers noticed that he had a firearm tucked between his legs, according to the report. Once they'd safely removed the handgun, they identified the suspect as 22-year-old Junior Espinal Calix of Alexandria.

Investigators determined that Espinal Calix had been convicted on a felony manslaughter charge in 2023, which prohibited him from possessing firearms or ammunition, according to police.

Espinal Calix was taken to a nearby hospital for medical evaluation. Once he was cleared, he was arrested and transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where he was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, carrying a loaded firearm in certain localities and intoxication in public, according to police. He was later released on a $5,000 secure bond.

In 2023, Espinal Calix pleaded guilty the Alexandria Circuit Court to three counts of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to court documents. After the three sentences, which were to run consecutively with each other, were suspended, Espinal Calix was then put on supervised release for five years.

Espinal Calix is scheduled to be arraigned in Fairfax County General District Court at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. on March 25, according to court records.

The possession of a gun within 10 years of being convicted of a felony charge is a Class 6 felony. If convicted on this charge, Expinal Calix could be sentenced from one to five years in prison or up to a year in jail and fine of up to $2,500, under the Code of Virginia.

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Although FCPD has long prioritized reducing illegal firearm possession by convicted felons, the department saw a significant increase in the successful prosecution of convicted felons on weapon charges since Operation Press Check was first launched in 2023, according FCPD.

Last November, FCPD reported that it had seized 57 firearms year to date, which was more than double the 24 firearms it had seized during all of 2023, according to police.

With a goal of strengthening investigations and the prosecution of felons in possession of firearm cases, Operation Press Check is a collaboration between FCPD, the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.