Michael Dodge II, a 35-year-old White male, was fatally shot on October 21, 2025, while on the job in Stafford County, just north of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Dodge, a contractor from Caroline County, was working for a mortgage company, tasked with securing a home in the 600 block of Mountain View Road that was believed to be vacant. His work often involved handling foreclosures and vacant homes by boarding up windows, making minor repairs, and changing locks.
On that Tuesday morning, Dodge arrived at the Mountain View Road property to change the locks. Believing the residence to be empty, he was unexpectedly confronted by a man inside the house. During the escalating confrontation, Dodge placed a call to his employer. Over the open phone line, his coworker heard him state that someone in the property was being aggressive and had a gun on him before the line was filled with the sound of gunshots. The call then disconnected.
His coworker immediately alerted the authorities.
Stafford County Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene and discovered Michael Dodge II unresponsive in the driveway, having been shot multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Law enforcement officials established a perimeter around the house after noticing movement inside. Following a brief standoff, they took 64-year-old Donald Thomas of Stafford into custody without further incident. Thomas had been staying at the residence at the time of the shooting.
Donald Thomas was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and unlawfully shooting or wounding in the commission of a felony. He was booked into the Rappahannock Regional Jail, where he is being held without bond. Dodge's parents described his death as a senseless loss, stating that their son was simply doing the job he had done many times before. They remembered him as a kind-hearted man who 'never met a stranger.'
