On the late evening of September 11, 2017, a domestic dispute at Murphy’s Body Shop on Anderson Highway in Powhatan, Virginia, ended with the shooting death of 35-year-old Dana Travis Burdick. The incident occurred at about 9:30 p.m. and involved several family members; Burdick had been living in Powhatan for two years after moving from Florida, Massachusetts.

Powhatan County 911 received a call at 9:32 p.m. from a man identifying himself as Dana Ritcher, who said he had shot his son after Burdick forced his way into the business and was attacking Ritcher’s other son. Deputies found Ritcher and the other son outside and recovered the .380 caliber handgun Ritcher said he used. Burdick was located inside the office with a gunshot wound to the chest; CPR was attempted but he did not survive. The autopsy listed the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the chest with lethal injuries to the lungs, airway, and aorta, and noted recent trauma including bruises on his hands consistent with repeatedly striking a hard object with a closed fist.

The Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office investigated with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Did anyone who knew Burdick or worked at Murphy’s Body Shop witness the moments before the shooting or the confrontation that led to it?