Robert Morton Booker Jr., 65, was fatally shot on the evening of October 23, 2023, in the parking lot of the Family Dollar at 2075 Crater Road in Petersburg, Virginia. Officers who arrived at the scene found him deceased and the Petersburg Police Department opened a murder investigation into what has been described as a seemingly random act of violence.

Booker, known to friends and family by nicknames including RJ, J Bird, and Booker, was remembered as kind, charismatic, and funny. He worked for Hopewell Water Renewal, was a father, and had been looking forward to retirement. Authorities identified a suspect and a pursuit ended in Dinwiddie County; 31-year-old Isaiah Dante Tyree of Prince George County was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

If anyone saw the shooting or has information about Booker’s final hours in Petersburg on October 23, 2023, please come forward.