On a February afternoon in Stanley, Virginia, the life of 48-year-old male, Dominic 'Nick' J. Winum, was cut short in a sudden act of violence. On February 26, 2021, the Stanley Police Department officer was conducting a traffic stop when the driver of the vehicle, Dakota G. Richards, emerged and opened fire before Winum could even exit his patrol car. The shooting occurred at approximately 3:15 p.m. on Judy Lane in Stanley.
Officer Winum succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Following the shooting, a manhunt for the 29-year-old Richards ensued, involving multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Stanley Police Department, Luray Police Department, Page County Sheriff's Office, Warren County Sheriff's Office, and the Virginia State Police. Richards fled into the woods and was later discovered hiding in a barn off Marksville Road. When confronted by deputies from the Page County Sheriff's Office, Richards made a threatening movement and was subsequently shot and killed.
Dominic Winum, who was born on August 31, 1972, had a history of service, having been a Virginia State Police trooper for ten years before joining the Stanley Police Department in 2016. He was a husband and father of four children. The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Culpeper Field Office was tasked with investigating both the line-of-duty death of Officer Winum and the subsequent fatal officer-involved shooting of the suspect.
