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AN actor has been shot to death after getting in the middle of a couple who were fighting in the street.
Adam Turck, 35, was walking his dog in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday morning when he saw the 19-year-old man arguing with his girlfriend.
The theatre star tried to break the couple apart before the teen whipped a gun out from his backpack and fired shots.
The shooter struck Turck and then turned the gun on himself.
Turck and the teen were found suffering from critical injuries in the city’s historic Church Hill neighborhood around 10:17 am, police said.
The actor was fatally injured but was kept alive so that he could donate his organs.
In a heartwrenching statement, his family said, “We hope that those lives he saves will know that they will hold the soul of a hero within them.”
Turck has been remembered as a fitness lover and pillar of the local theatre community who made a massive impact on everyone he met.
Friends said they were heartbroken by his death, but not surprised that he put his life at risk to help others.
Ruth Hedburg, who met him in 2015 after they starred in a children’s play together, said that Turck made everyone he spoke with feel like “the most important person in his life.”
Speaking of his death, she said, “The result is awful, but I also know that Adam would get up out of his ICU bed, given a moment’s notice, and do the exact same thing again.”
“That’s something that’s going to have a big effect on a lot of people going forward,” she told ABC affiliate WRIC.
Turck had just starred in Smoke A Comedy of Horrors a couple of months before his death, and he was set to be in Dracula: A Comedy of Horrors in the fall.
His family said that he was “fiercely devoted to his craft, his loved ones, and finding joy in any corner.”
“On August 2, 2025, Adam put his life on the line to protect someone in need and we will forever remember him for this sacrifice,” they wrote.
The family said that if the actor hadn’t intervened, the woman “would not be with us today.”
HEARTBROKEN COMMUNITY
When Turck wasn’t on stage, he was oftentimes working out at his home gym Tequila and Deadlifts, where he was once a trainer.
He had an Instagram account to share his fitness progress and post about upcoming shows.
The owner of the gym, Kerish Raie, said that his death has left a hole “not just in our gym community or our theater communities, but in the fabric of this world,” she told NBC affiliate 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.”
The Virginia Repertory Theatre mourned the actor as a “passionate activist and beloved member of our community.”
“Adam was a light, both on stage and in every space he entered. His artistry, integrity, and fierce compassion touched so many of us.
“This is a profound loss we share as a community.”
Full statement from Adam Turck’s family
“[Adam] was playful and clever, he was strong and wise, he was wildly competitive and had a moral compass made of steel. Adam was fiercely devoted to his craft, his loved ones, and finding joy in any corner. He was also stubborn, too smart for his own good, and when he started a bit, oh, that man would not quit. But above all else, he was kind.
“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. That’s what heroes do – they save the lives of others. On August 2nd, 2025, Adam put his life on the line to protect someone in need and we will forever remember him for this sacrifice. Although we cannot go into details on the events of this past Saturday due to the nature of the event, it was told to us that if Adam was not there, the person he intervened to help would not be with us today.”
“Adam is survived by his parents, Peter and Terry Ann, and his older brothers, Pete and David, as well as his beloved Lana, whom he adopted two years ago from the Southside Animal Control.
“He is also survived by a legacy that will outlive him – a champion of the arts, a staunch ally and advocate, a beloved friend.
“Adam grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania but his chosen home for the last decade was Richmond, Virginia. After touring the country as part of Olney Theatre’s National Players, he settled here and immediately joined the Richmond theatre community, gracing every stage in the city countless times.
“A multiple nominee for the Richmond Theatre Community Circle Awards, he won the award for Best Actor in a Play in 2018 for “Hand to God”. He was most recently seen in Cadence Theatre’s production of “Smoke” and was preparing to play the title role in “Dracula: A Comedy of Horrors” at Richmond Triangle Players this fall.
“There will need to be further testing done to determine which of his organs will be viable and to prepare recipients to accept his donations. We hope that those lives he saves will know that they will hold the soul of a hero within them. Once we know dates for certain, we will inform the community at large when and how they can honor him. Until then, hold him in your hearts and hold your loved ones in your arms.
“You’ve probably seen a lot of Superman imagery in the past few days as people have poured out their love on social media. If you’ve seen the latest movie, you’ll know the poster tells us to Look Up. We’re looking up for you, Adam. We’re gonna keep looking up.”
