~ PVN staff report
STANLEY, Feb. 27 — During a traffic stop on Judy Lane in the Town of Stanley on Friday afternoon, a Stanley man fired on a police officer before he left his cruiser and fled on foot into the woods, according to officials.
Virginia State Police have now identified the shooter as Dakota G. Richards, 29, of Stanley, Va.
Richards was found in a barn along Marksville Road and made a threatening move toward law enforcement before being shot and killed by a deputy with the Page County Sheriff’s Office.
The police officer fatally shot during the traffic stop has been identified as Officer Dominic “Nick” J. Winum of the Stanley Police Department.
Winum, 48, served with the Virginia State Police for 10 years before coming to Stanley as a police officer for the last five years.
“Since joining our department in 2016, he proudly served and protected the Stanley community,” Stanley Police Chief Ryan Dean stated in the Facebook post. “I know the Stanley and Page County community are keeping Nick and his family in their prayers during this most difficult and tragic time.”
The Luray Police Department, Page County Sheriff’s Office, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia State Police assisted the Stanley Police Department in the incident.
The Sheriff’s Office has not yet released the name of the deputy that shot Richards, or further details of the event.
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