Sunrise Alexandria Called for Medical Help, Not Police, After Assault that Led to Death: Police

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- Alexandria Police say that Sunrise Alexandria did not call them Oct. 24, when a resident assaulted another resident, leading to his death two days later.

"The police department was not called," Crystal Nosal, spokeswoman for the Alexandria Police Department, said Friday afternoon. Police checked over their records Thursday and did not find any record that Sunrise contacted them on Oct. 24.

Hunter Alexander, 82, died Wednesday, Oct. 26, two days after he was assaulted by a fellow resident, age 72, police said. Alexander was assaulted Monday, Oct. 24 at approximately 12:30 p.m. and was transported to an area hospital, police said.

Sunrise Alexandria is not answering questions about the assault but issued a statement saying: "We immediately notified all proper authorities when the incident occurred..."

Nosal said Sunrise contacted medical help for Alexander on Oct. 24 and that Sunrise contacted police only after Alexander passed away.

There is no word on whether the man who assaulted Alexander faces any charges, how Sunrise handled the incident in the aftermath of Alexander's death or how the company generally handles such incidents.

A spokeswoman for Sunrise said Wednesday she could not answer any questions, including whether the man who assaulted Alexander is still living at the facility or whether and how residents and their families were informed of the incident. A woman at the facility on Duke Street said she was told to refer all calls to company headquarters in McLean. A statement from Sunrise headquarters reads:

"We are deeply saddened by this loss to our family. We immediately notified all proper authorities when the incident occurred three weeks ago, and the police commenced an investigation right away. It would not be appropriate to discuss further details, as we must respect the privacy of those involved. We remain focused on providing our cherished residents with a safe, nurturing home."

A LexisNexis Community Crime Map shows a homicide reported Thursday, Oct. 27 at 6:55 p.m. in the 3500 block of Duke Street in Alexandria. A police spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday that the Oct. 27 report is the report of Alexander's death Oct. 26, generated after police were notified.

Police say it is up to the Commonwealth's Attorney whether to bring charges against the man who assaulted Alexander; the Commonwealth's Attorney tells FOX-5 they won't decide whether to bring charges until they receive the police investigation report, which they told the TV station has been completed but not yet delivered to their office.

On another note, Alexander was reportedly a descendent of George Washington, according to the book "The Washingtons: A Family History," FOX-5 reported. The book notes that Hunter Holmes Alexander was born in New York on March 18, 1934, graduated from Harvard in 1957, earned a masters degree in 1961 at Johns Hopkins and a PhD in Russian Studies from Georgetown University in 1971. He worked as a research analyst at the Library of Congress, taught history at the University of Charleston and became the assistant editor of The [Charleston] Evening Post newspaper. He later worked as a Soviet affairs analyst for Lulejian & Associates.

PHOTO of Sunrise Alexandria from Google maps