A beloved Virginia actor is being remembered as a hero after he was fatally shot while trying to stop a domestic dispute during a morning walk with his dog.
Adam Turck, 35, was shot on Saturday outside an apartment building in Richmond, according to the Richmond Police Department.
When police responded to the scene around 10 a.m., they found two men with serious injuries. An investigation determined that Turck had encountered the dispute between the man and woman while walking his dog.
He tried to intervene to deescalate the situation when he was shot by the 19-year-old man, before the man turned the gun on himself, police said.
“Adam put his life on the line to protect someone in need, and we will forever remember him for this sacrifice,” Turck’s family said in a statement to WTVR.
“Although we cannot go into details on the events of this past Saturday due to the nature of the event, we were told that if Adam had not been there, the person he intervened to help would not be with us today.”
Turck, who was well-known in Richmond’s theater and fitness communities, was kept alive for a short time so his organs could be donated.
“Adam will be 35 years old when he passes in the next few days, after donating his organs to help save the lives of others,” the family said in the statement that was issued before his death was confirmed.
“That’s what heroes do – they save the lives of others.”
Turck moved from Bucks County, Pennsylvania to Richmond after touring the country with Olney Theatre’s National Players. He became a fixture in the local arts scene, earning multiple nominations for the Richmond Theatre Community Circle Awards and winning Best Actor in a Play in 2018 for Hand to God. He had been preparing to star as the lead in Dracula: A Comedy of Horrors this fall.
“This is a tragic story of gun violence against a person who was simply trying to de-escalate a disturbing argument,” Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said. “This is a heartbreaking reminder that we must, as a community, continue to combat gun violence in our society.”
Dozens of friends and community members gathered at the Firehouse Theatre to honor his life and legacy this week.
“He is the person who put us all back together,” said Kerith Rae, owner of the gym Tequila & Deadlifts, where Turck was a longtime member. “He would give you a hug and it puts you back together, he would tell you a story or an anecdote. He would ask you how you’re doing and actually mean it and want to know and truly care.”
“I cannot explain the size of the hole that has been left, not just in our gym community or our theater communities, but in the fabric of this world to lose somebody like Adam,” Rae told WWBT. “He’s the kind of person people write about in books because they want to be that good and he just was. And this world is a duller, darker place without him.”
In a tribute on social media, the Virginia Repertory Theatre, where Turck frequently performed, described him as “a light, both on stage and in every space he entered.”
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss,” the statement read. “He was a gifted actor, passionate activist, and beloved member of our community. His artistry, integrity, and fierce compassion touched so many of us. This is a profound loss we share as a community.”
