In the predawn hours of April 12, 1986, Patrolman David Wayne Rickman, 23, of the Roanoke City Police Department was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance in Roanoke, Virginia. Rickman, a U.S. Army veteran who had been with the department less than a year, and his partner were arresting the woman’s ex‑boyfriend at the residence when the woman appeared at the doorway with a handgun. A single shot passed through Rickman’s left arm and entered his chest through an opening in his protective vest. He was transported to a hospital and died shortly afterward, leaving a young son, his parents, and five siblings.

The woman who fired the shot said the shooting was accidental. She was arrested, charged in connection with Rickman’s death, and later convicted of manslaughter; the court found insufficient evidence of intent to kill but held her criminally responsible for the reckless act.

Did anyone in the Roanoke area have information about Rickman’s life or the events that night?