EDEN — Gwendolyn Lavonne Riddick, an OB-GYN at UNC Women’s Health in Eden, was fatally shot at an Eden park Sunday afternoon, and police have charged the father of her toddler-age son with first-degree murder.
Officers with the Eden Police Department were dispatched to the park with a report of a shooting in progress around 2:45 p.m. They arrived to find John Michael Powell, of Newport News, Va., 35, fleeing the scene in a black Chevy Avalanche and promptly arrested him.
Riddick, 40, had been shot multiple times and lay in the parking lot next to her red Ford Mustang, police said in a news release. Her three-year-old son, Powell's namesake, witnessed the crime but was not physically injured, and the killing likely stemmed from an ongoing custody battle involved the tot, according to officials involved in the case.
EPD officers, who are stationed less than a half-mile from the park and arrived within one minute, rendered first aid to Riddick until EMS staff arrived. She was taken to UNC Rockingham Health Care where she was pronounced dead around 3 p.m.
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Powell has been charged with one count of discharging a weapon into occupied property, in addition to the murder charge. He is being held without bond in the Rockingham County Detention Facility and is scheduled to appear in Rockingham County District Court in Wentworth on Aug. 8.
Newport News police have yet to say whether Powell has a criminal record in Virginia.
Officials said they had no knowledge of a restraining order or protective order filed against Powell by Riddick in Rockingham County.
A senseless loss
“This is a senseless and tragic loss of life; the family and work family are in our thoughts and prayers,’’ EDP Chief Clint Simpson said in the release. “Unfortunately, this incident occurred at Freedom Park in the parking lot. Even more senseless was to commit this act of violence in a location with numerous families and children nearby.”
Staff and patients at Riddick’s hospital are devastated, they said.
“UNC Health Rockingham is a small, community hospital that fosters a close-knit, family environment amongst our teammates,” said Erica Vernon, director of public relations for Riddick’s hospital.
“Dr. Gwendolyn Riddick was a member of our family, and losing a family member to tragic circumstances is incredibly difficult. Today, our UNC Health Rockingham family grieves her loss and extends our deepest sympathies to her loved ones. We have employee assistance and chaplains on-site to support our team members. We will be doing more to honor Dr. Riddick and her legacy of resilience and compassion in the days to come.”
Domestic violence strong in Rockingham Co.
Meanwhile, domestic violence is a deep and serious problem across Rockingham County that Riddick's death sharply underscores, said a top administrator at Help, Inc., a full-service agency in Wentworth that links victims of domestic abuse with the justice system, counselors, shelters and other resources.
"In preparation for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, we had just talked to the city of Eden about organizing a special walk at Freedom Park,'' said Help Inc.'s Director of Operations Chrissy Griffin.
"This tragedy is actually gonna make that event hit a little bit harder,'' said Griffin, who has assisted battered women for eight years through her agency and worked as a victim's assistant for the Rockingham County District Attorney's Office prior to that.
Women in peril often file protective orders against their abusers as formal complaints that are designed to block abusers from coming near victims.
Between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023, Rockingham County victims took out 389 Protective Orders through the Help, Inc.'s Justice Center, Griffin said, explaining more were processed through the Circuit Court Clerk's office.
Since 2002, counting Riddick's death, Rockingham County has seen 11 domestic abuse-related homicides or suicides, Griffin said.
The most recent were a three murders in Reidsville in 2018, one homicide in Reidsville in 2019, a murder/suicide in Madison in 2020 and Riddick's killing July 30 in Eden.
The majority of domestic violence takes place behind closed doors and is hidden from the public and a victim's family and friends, Griffin said.
Brazen, targeted abuse
But Sunday's attack on Riddick was an example of brazen "targeted" abuse in broad daylight.
"One of the things that is still bothering me is that this was 2 o'clock on a Sunday in a park,'' Griffin said. "It just shows that sometimes abusers do not care who is around or what is going on."
Griffin had considered taking her child to the park's splash pad that afternoon, in fact, but made other plans that spared her child from being exposed to violence.
"But I worry about children who might have been there who have heard a parent threaten another with a gun in their homes ... the kind of fear this will put in them,'' Griffin said.
"Everyone deserves to be safe, safe at home, and we would hope we would be safe anywhere we go.''
Innocence lost
The most grave trauma comes to children who witness violent crimes against their own family members, Griffin and other experts said.
"It robs them of their innocence, Then they can become afraid of everyone. In this case, the little boy loves his mom and his dad in different ways, but he's lost both of them.''
Riddick's death will likely spark an increase in calls to Help, Inc. from women seeking to flee abusive situations, Griffin said.
"I'm thankful for the coverage this is getting, because it reminds people to reach out and get help,'' Griffin said, explaining Help, Inc., assists women by helping them make a holistic plan to get to safety. Something that means transferring them away from a county shelter to a facility hours away where security is stronger.
"We help women put a plan together so there are safety measures in place,'' Griffin said. "Women have a system set up so people know when you need help.''
Riddick's move to UNC Women's Health
Riddick joined UNC Women’s Health in Eden in October 2021. A friend from residency had recommended the medical practice and the small Rockingham County city as ideal for Riddick. She treated around 25 patients daily and delivered around 10 babies per month.
“I wanted to be in a place where I could give back to the community,’’ Riddick said in a 2022 interview. “I want to be involved with teenagers when it comes to mentoring on a level outside of the office, so that is what attracted me to Eden.’’
Born in Gates County in the northeastern part of the state, Riddick grew up the middle child of six in a home where money was scarce, but achievement was celebrated and support from her parents was abundant.
“I always knew that I wanted to be a doctor,” Riddick said in the interview. “You know when you ask little kids what they wanna be in life? That’s what I always said because I wanted to help people. I didn’t know what kind of doctor. I’ve always been inspired to help others. It’s just something I’ve always had in my heart.”
Growing up with two sisters and three brothers, money was tight when it came to the family’s own medical care.
“My family were financially disadvantaged, so we didn’t have a lot of luxuries when it came to having our own doctor, per se,” Riddick said in 2022. “So a lot of our health care was actually at the health department.”
School was a place where Riddick found she could define herself and plan for a life that would lift her family economically, she said.
There were challenges along the way.
Riddick gave birth to a daughter, Aniya, during her high school years. She took only a three-week maternity leave from school. “I really was inspired because I really wanted not to become a statistic. I wanted to achieve success academically. That was at the forefront of my mind … and being a mother, too.”
She graduated as the Gates County High School with major scholarship offers.
“My parents were very supportive of me,” Riddick said. “They wanted to help me with my daughter so that I could go on and do what I wanted to do in life as far as going to college,” Riddick said. “They pushed me to stay in school and to do well.’’
“My parents were able to help me raise my daughter while I went to college,” said Riddick, who began her studies on a full scholarship at UNC Chapel Hill but transferred to East Carolina University in Greenville so that she could more easily commute home every weekend to be with her little girl. Aniya would ultimately follow in her mom’s footsteps as a pre-med biology major.
Riddick graduated early from ECU in December 2004, and attended medical school at Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg. She worked at several locations in Virginia, including Newport News, before her move to Eden. She also had a second child, a boy named John Michael, with her partner John Powell, the man now charged in her death.
In Eden, the practitioners “welcomed me with open arms,” Riddick said. “I enjoy working with Dr. (Nigel) Buist and Dr. (Dionne) Galloway, as well. And I enjoy working with the staff here. They’ve been very warm.”
Her most critical focus was in fulfilling her personal promise to give patients the comfort of unconditional acceptance and compassion, along with a big dose of patient education.
“My patients are very thankful to me that I relay information to them in a manner which they understand,” Riddick said. “I think that’s why I’ve always had a large following with patient care because I want for my patients to understand exactly what’s going on with their health.”
Steven E. Eblin, president and CEO of UNC Rockingham Health Care, said last year that Riddick’s “commitment to her patients and helping those in the community facing challenges is truly inspiring.’’
Anyone with information concerning Riddick’s death is asked to contact Detective Tyson Scales or Lt. Andrew Kenyi at 336-623-9755 (24hr) or 336-623-9240 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. To leave an anonymous tip, call Rockingham County Crimestoppers at 336-349-9683.