A 56-year-old Indian American convenience store owner and his 24-year-old daughter were fatally shot in Accomack County, Virginia, on the morning of March 20, 2025. The suspect, identified as 44-year-old George Frazier Devon Wharton, allegedly opened fire after confronting them about the store being closed at night.
The victims, Pradeep Patel and his daughter Urmi, originally from Kanoda village in Mehsana, Gujarat, India, were attacked around 5:30 AM. While Patel was killed on the spot, Urmi was rushed to Norfolk General Hospital with critical gunshot wounds but later succumbed to her injuries.
Authorities arrested Wharton late Thursday, and he is being held without bond on multiple charges, including First-Degree Murder, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony (two counts), and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
“They come in the store, open the store and just start working and they just shot,” store owner Paresh Patel who owns a nearby departmental store told WBOC. “My cousin’s wife, she is struggling for right now.”
Another relative, Paul Patel, described the attack as a senseless act of violence.
“They never had a problem with anyone … their community says that they were so good,” Paul Patel said. “They were so friendly, always smiling.”
Pradeep Patel, his wife Hansaben, and their daughter Urmi moved to the U.S. six years ago. The couple has two other daughters—one residing in Canada and the other in Ahmedabad, India.
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