Virginia

State Trooper, Suspect Killed in Virginia Greyhound Station Shooting

There were no indications the shooting was an act of terrorism, authorities said

A Virginia police trooper died after a man shot him at a bus station in Richmond on Thursday, police said.

The suspect was killed when two other troopers returned fire, according to Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty. Two women suffered injuries not considered life-threatening during the shooting.

Trooper Chad Dermyer was one of about a dozen troopers participating in an exercise that brought him in contact with the gunman, police said at a news conference Thursday night. Dermyer, 37, was a former Marine from Michigan. He is survived by his wife and two young children, officials said.

The shooting was reported about 2:45 p.m., state police said.

The gunman has been identified but police did not release his name. Flaherty said he had a history of criminal charges; he also said there were no indications the shooting was an act of terrorism.

State police troopers were conducting narcotics training in the station, according to NBC News. As part of the training, they dispersed through the station to talk to people. A man Dermyer was talking to pulled out a handgun and shot him.  

Greyhound evacuated the station, which is across the street from Richmond's minor league baseball stadium, and directed inbound buses to its Richmond garage location. Counselors were available for employees and customers who were at the station at the time.

"Our Richmond, Va. station is closed until further notice and we are actively working with the authorities," a service alert issued Thursday afternoon said.

Greyhound is providing surveillance video from the station to investigators.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe released a statement Thursday pledging state resources to respond to the situation: "Our public safety team and I will continue to monitor the situation and support State Police and local authorities in their response and investigation of this incident.”

NBC's Asher Klein and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Us