LORTON, Va. - Fairfax County police are investigating the death of an elderly man found inside his million dollar Lorton home on the Potomac River.
Two neighbors living within a few hundred yards of Johan De Leede's waterfront home in the 6000 block of River Drive said they heard a burst of gunfire just after 1 a.m. - and then another burst. Both were rapid-fire shots.
Investigators say the victim was shot several times inside his home.
Officers rushed to the scene after first getting a 911 call from De Leede's wife and then a second call from a neighbor.
"We had a helicopter and K-9 and saturated the area just making sure to see if we could locate anyone that was possibly involved," said Fairfax County Police Officer Roger Henriquez.
De Leede was transported to a local hospital where he died a short time later.
Police spent the next several hours scouring the crime scene paying close attention to the backyard, a patio and a dock.
"Initially, we asked residents to remain indoors," said Officer Henriquez. "Obviously, the investigation is still ongoing."
Property records show the De Leedes purchased the home in the early 90s and its value is listed at just over a million dollars.
De Leede was from the Netherlands and was retired from the World Bank.
"I think it's fair to say everyone is shocked," said neighbor Tom York. "There is nothing like this has happened in this neighborhood. It's very quiet and most everybody knows everybody else. We are blissfully free of crime and this is certainly a shock."
York has lived in the neighborhood his entire life and knew the family. He described De Leede as "a man who generally was quiet, lived here a long time, loved to sail, had a couple of sailboats, always had his grandkids here to go sailing on his sailboats in the summertime."