Centreville Man Gets Prison Sentence For Fatal Shooting During Marijuana Deal

CENTREVILLE, VA — A Centreville man convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the 2024 shooting death of an 18-year-old Manassas man was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison, according to the Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.

Hassan Kanu, 20, was sentenced to 10 years in prison with four years suspended for killing Michael Alcantara outside a Centreville Dunkin' in May 2024. A Fairfax County jury convicted Kanu of voluntary manslaughter in March, prosecutors said.

Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano's office had sought the maximum sentence. Prosecutors said Kanu fired 13 rounds at Alcantara during an exchange of gunfire and then disposed of his gun in a storm drain before returning to the scene.

Marijuana Deal Ended In Exchange Of Gunfire

The shooting occurred shortly before 9:30 a.m. on May 15, 2024, after Kanu arranged to buy marijuana from Alcantara, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.

Video footage showed Alcantara arriving in a vehicle and pulling into a parking lot off Route 29 in Centreville, prosecutors said. Kanu, who had been waiting at a nearby Dunkin', walked to the vehicle and got into the passenger seat.

After spending time inside the vehicle, the two men got out and exchanged gunfire, prosecutors said. Kanu was struck during the shooting but fired 13 rounds at Alcantara as Alcantara moved away, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.

RELATED: Gunfire Exchange Kills Manassas Man, Injures Centreville Man

Fairfax County Police responded around 9:35 a.m. to the 14600 block of Route 29, Patch reported at the time. Officers found Alcantara suffering from gunshot wounds to his upper body and attempted life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Kanu, then 18, was taken to a hospital with serious gunshot wounds.

Police said investigators found two guns and drugs at the scene and believed the shooting was drug-related. Detectives said both men had been inside a vehicle before getting out and exchanging gunfire. Police said at the time that the shooting was not believed to be random.

After the shooting, prosecutors said Kanu fled the area, disposed of his firearm in a storm drain and then returned to the scene, where he initially said he had been shot. He later admitted participating in the shooting.

Kanu was initially charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Fairfax court records show those charges were certified to a grand jury following a November 2024 preliminary hearing

"This senseless violence resulted in a tragic outcome," Descano said in a statement announcing the sentence. "Broad disregard for public safety will not be tolerated, which is why my prosecutors argued for the maximum possible sentence."