Policeman Dominic “Nick” Winum, 48, has been with the Stanley City Police Department since 2016, according to police chief Ryan Dean. Before that, Winum served as a soldier for the Virginia State Police, who also extended condolences.
“It is with a heavy heart this evening that we must inform our community about death in the line of duty of one of our own,” announced Dean in a Facebook post. “I know that the Stanley and Page County community is keeping Nick and his family in their prayers during this most difficult and tragic period.”
In a subsequent statement on its Facebook page, the Stanley Police Department said that Winum initiated a traffic stop, but before the officer could get out of his vehicle, the suspect got out of his vehicle and opened fire. The shooter, identified as Dakota G. Richards, 29, fled to a nearby forest on foot.
The authorities pursued Richards and found him hiding in a barn; Richards “made a menacing move and was shot by Page County sheriff’s deputies,” the statement said.
Virginia State Police are investigating the two shots. CNN contacted the Stanley Police Department and the Virginia State Police for comment.