A 43-year-old Chantilly man was arrested Tuesday night on a charge of murder after a brazen daytime shooting inside a Northern Virginia gym.
Fairfax County police said Steve Taehee Ha was taken into custody less than eight hours after he shot and killed Hyung Joon Choi, 31, at the Gold’s Gym in the 11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston just before 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday.
Choi, of Reston, was shot multiple times in the upper body while working out inside the gym. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Ha was also exercising when he came up to Choi in a “targeted stance” and shot him, Capt. Kent Bailey, with Fairfax County police, said during a news conference Tuesday. Ha was then seen fleeing the gym right after the shooting.
Bailey said the shooting appeared to be an “isolated, targeted incident,” rather than a random act of violence inside the gym.
In addition to second-degree murder, Ha has also been charged with the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He’s being held in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on no bond, police said.
Detectives are still investigating the circumstances leading up to the shooting and asked anyone with information to call 703-246-7800 or submit a tip anonymously through crime solvers.
Below is a map of the area where the shooting happened.
