Funeral service for fallen Wintergreen police officer to be held in Augusta County
FISHERSVILLE — A funeral for the Wintergreen police officer killed over the weekend will be held next week at the Augusta Expo Event Center in Fishersville.
Officer M. Christopher Wagner II, 31, of Stuarts Draft, was killed Friday night in Wintergreen, located in Nelson County.
A suspect, Daniel M. Barmak, 23, of Towson, Maryland, is charged with capital murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and two felony counts of malicious wounding. He is being held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, according to Virginia State Police.
The incident began shortly after 10 p.m. on Friday when the Wintergreen Police Department fielded an emergency call about Barmak allegedly assaulting two other men at a residence they were all staying at on Arrowood Lane. After calling police, the two injured men, both 23, fled the residence on foot. They were taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville for treatment of injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to state police.
Wagner was the first to arrive at the residence. He reportedly encountered Barmak in the woods and a struggle ensued. During the course of the struggle over Wagner's department-issued handgun, Barmak allegedly shot and killed Wagner. Barmak was also shot during the encounter, police said.
Wintergreen police and the Nelson County Sheriff's Office arrested Barmak without further incident. He was also taken to the Charlottesville hospital, police said.
Inside the residence, authorities reportedly found illegal narcotics. Wagner's department-issued handgun was recovered at the shooting scene in the woods.
The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Appomattox Field Office is investigating.
The Wintergreen Police Department said Wagner's funeral will be held next week on Monday, June 26, at the Augusta Expo Event Center in Fishersville. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until noon, and will be followed by a funeral service. Afterward, the burial will take place at Augusta Memorial Park on Goose Creek Road. The visitation, funeral and burial are open to the public.
Media coverage will only be allowed at the funeral, the release said.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Funeral for fallen Wintergreen police officer announced
