EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a breaking news story. Details are still developing. BET will update as official confirmation is provided by authorities.

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and his wife Cerina Fairfax are dead following what Fairfax County police are describing as a domestic shooting at their Annandale, Virginia, home. The incident occurred just after midnight on Thursday, April 16.

Fairfax County police responded to the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive shortly after midnight and found a man and a woman dead inside the residence. "Preliminarily, it appears that the adult male shot the adult female before shooting himself in a domestic related incident," Capt. Chris Cosgriff said in a briefing, according to WTOP. Authorities said they were withholding the victims' names pending notification of next of kin.

Multiple outlets, including CNN, identified the victims as Fairfax and his wife based on the address. The couple had two children together. Reports indicate that Cerina had recently filed for divorce.

Fairfax, 47, served as Virginia's 41st lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 under Gov. Ralph Northam. He was the second African American elected statewide in Virginia, following former Gov. Douglas Wilder. A Harvard Law School graduate and former federal prosecutor, Fairfax rose quickly through Virginia Democratic politics and was widely considered a future candidate for higher office.

His political trajectory was derailed in 2019 when two women came forward with sexual assault allegations dating to 2000 and 2004. Fairfax denied both accusations. No criminal charges were ever filed. He nevertheless moved forward in Virginia politics, running in the 2021 Democratic gubernatorial primary, where he finished fourth with 3.54% of the vote. Terry McAuliffe won the primary but lost the general election to Republican Glenn Youngkin.

After leaving elected office, Fairfax returned to private law practice. He and Cerina had remained in the Annandale area where he had built his political career.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), text SAFE to 88788, or chat at thehotline.org. If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.