In the early morning hours of March 20, 2025, a violent tragedy shattered the quiet of Accomac, Virginia. Pradipkumar Ratilal Patel, a 56-year-old Indian-origin man, was working alongside his 24-year-old daughter, Urmi Pradipbhai Patel, at the Shore Stop convenience store on Lankford Highway. Shortly after 5 a.m., a gunman entered the store and opened fire. When sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene, they discovered Mr. Patel unresponsive, having sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
While searching the building, deputies also found Urmi suffering from gunshot wounds. She was airlifted to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in critical condition. Tragically, she succumbed to her injuries a few days later, on Saturday, March 22, 2025. The father and daughter, originally from Gujarat, India, had come to the United States six years prior on a visitor visa with another daughter. The incident sent shockwaves through the local and Indian-American communities.
The investigation quickly led authorities to a suspect. George Frazier Devon Wharton, a 44-year-old man from Onancock, was arrested and taken into custody. He was initially charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Wharton was incarcerated at the Accomack County Jail and denied bond.
Following Urmi Patel's death, the charges against Wharton were anticipated to be upgraded. On October 6, 2025, an Accomack County Grand Jury indicted Wharton on eleven counts related to the shootings. The charges included two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of the use of a firearm in a felony, three counts of malicious shooting at an occupied building, one count of brandishing a weapon in a public place, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. A motive for the shooting was not immediately released by authorities as the investigation continued.
