In the late evening of September 11, 2017, a domestic dispute at a Powhatan, Virginia auto body shop culminated in the shooting death of 35-year-old Dana Travis Burdick. The incident, which involved several family members, took place at approximately 9:30 p.m. at Murphy's Body Shop on Anderson Highway. Burdick, a White male who had been living in Powhatan for the preceding two years after moving from Florida, Massachusetts, was fatally shot during the altercation.
The Powhatan County 911
dispatch received an emergency call at 9:32 p.m. from a man identifying himself as Dana Ritcher, who stated that he had shot his son, Dana Burdick. Ritcher informed the dispatcher that the shooting occurred after Burdick forced his way into the business and was in the process of attacking his other son. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found Ritcher and the other son outside the building. Ritcher immediately identified the. 380 caliber handgun he used in the shooting. The deputies then located Dana Burdick inside the office, suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. Rescue personnel attempted CPR, but their efforts were unsuccessful. The autopsy later confirmed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest that resulted in lethal injuries to his lungs, airway, and aorta. The medical examiner also noted that Burdick had signs of recent trauma, including bruises on his hands consistent with repeatedly striking a hard object with a closed fist.
An investigation into the shooting was conducted by the Powhatan County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The case was presented to a multi-jurisdictional grand jury to review the evidence and hear testimony from witnesses. In December 2017, the grand jury concluded their investigation. Based on the evidence and testimony, the grand jury found that there was no probable cause to indict Dana Ritcher for the killing of his son, Dana Burdick. The grand jury's unanimous recommendation was that the killing was a case of justifiable homicide.
