In the quiet mountain community of Wintergreen, Virginia, a routine call for a domestic disturbance on a Friday night in June of 2023 took a tragic turn, ending the life of a dedicated police officer. Mark Christopher 'Chris' Wagner II, a 31-year-old male officer with the Wintergreen Police Department, responded to a report of an assault on Arrowood Lane at approximately 10:00 p.m.
The initial call indicated that a man had assaulted two other individuals at a residence.
Upon his arrival, Officer Wagner, the first on the scene, learned the suspect had fled into the nearby woods. He pursued the individual, locating him in the wood line close to the house. A struggle ensued between Officer Wagner and the suspect, 23-year-old Daniel Barmark of Towson, Maryland. During this violent confrontation, Officer Wagner was fatally shot with his own service weapon. Barmark also sustained a gunshot wound during the struggle.
Following the altercation, other Wintergreen police officers and deputies from the Nelson County Sheriff's Office arrived and took Barmark into custody. He was initially charged with capital murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and two counts of malicious wounding. The two men Barmark had allegedly assaulted earlier were located and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
In February 2025, Daniel Barmark pleaded guilty to amended charges of second-degree murder, use of a firearm, and malicious wounding. In September of the same year, he was sentenced to a total of 48 years in prison: 40 years for the murder of Officer Wagner, three years for the firearm charge, and an additional five years for malicious wounding. Officer Wagner had served the Wintergreen Police Department for three years and was remembered by his chief as a dedicated officer with an infectious laugh who loved the outdoors.
