Police have arrested Donald Thomas, 64, for the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Michael Dodge II in Stafford County.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — The parents of 35-year-old Michael Dodge II say they’re still in shock, after their son was shot and killed while working in Stafford County Tuesday.
“You killed my son for nothing. You killed him for nothing,” his mother Lea Dodge told WUSA9.
She described her oldest son, as a man who “never met a stranger.”
“Everybody was a friend. Everybody was worth taking the shirt off his back for,” she said. “He had a very big heart.”
His father, Michael William Dodge, said his son worked as a contractor for mortgage companies, securing and repairing foreclosed or abandoned properties.
“If the property was broken, he would go secure it. If the property had to have some minor repairs, he would do the repairs,” he said.
Tuesday, his son was sent by his company to a home on Mountain View Road in Fredericksburg to resecure the property and change the locks. His father said when he arrived, he was confronted by a man.
“The gentleman confronted him and Michael called the company that he works for and said, ‘Hey, there’s somebody in the property. They’re here, they’re being aggressive and they have a gun on me,’ and he was attempting to back away and then there was gunshots,” his father said.
He told WUSA9 that the coworkers heard the gunshots, the phone drop, and then the call dropped.
Coworkers called 911. Police responded to the 600 block of Mountain View Road and found Dodge lying in the driveway dead.
They approached the scene cautiously because they believed the shooter was still there, but did not know their exact location. After establishing a perimeter, deputies noticed movement inside of the home.
After a brief standoff, 64-year-old Donald Thomas, who was inside the home, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
The family said they have received tremendous support and are especially grateful to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office.
“They had somebody stay with my son’s truck last night with the door open because his dog was with him and now he can’t find his dog,” Lea Dodge said. “We’re hoping that the dog would return to his truck.”
They’re still searching for Wiz, their son’s husky-shepherd mix who was with him at the time.
As they prepare to lay their oldest son to rest, both parents are remembering him for his kind heart.
“He was loving, giving, protective of his family. Just overall, just a great son to have,” his father said.
“He was a good human,” Lea Dodge said. “And I would hope that anything that anybody gets from this is: go out into the world and remember to be a good human.”
Lea Dodge also had a message for the man accused of killing her son.
“You killed him for nothing. You’re not in your house. My son’s not alive. Nobody got anything they wanted. And for what? For literally nothing. You took my son from me,” she said.
The family says they’ve had many people reach out wanting to help. They’re asking that anyone wishing to donate do so instead to the Wounded Warriors Project or the Stafford SPCA in their son’s name.
Thomas is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond. He is being charged with first-degree murder and unlawfully shooting or wounding in the commission of a felony.