Trooper, suspect dead in shooting at Richmond, Va. bus station; 2 others wounded

RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia State Police said a trooper has died after being shot by a man at a Richmond bus station Thursday afternoon. The suspect was also killed in the incident. Two other people were injured after suffering gunshot wounds.

Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller said the shooting happened around 2:40 p.m. at the Greyhound Bus Station on North Boulevard.

According to police, the trooper, identified as 37-year-old Chad Dermyer, approached the male suspect at the entrance of the bus station. As the trooper began talking to him, the suspect pulled out a gun and shot the trooper multiple times. Two troopers nearby returned fire wounding the suspect. The suspect went into a restaurant inside the bus station where police took him into custody.

Police said the suspect's firearm was recovered at the scene.

Our FOX affiliate in Chicago confirms the identity of the suspect as James Brown III from Illinois. He is no stranger to the law. Reports say he has been charged in the past with murder and aggravated battery with a fire arm among several other charges.

The trooper was transported to VCU Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, but later died at the hospital. The suspect was also taken to the hospital where he also died from his injuries.

Two women were also shot in the bus terminal. They were taken to the same hospital by ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to survive.

Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Steven Flaherty said it is unknown what caused the shooting. Dermyer was dressed in a fatigue-style uniform and was not wearing a protective vest.

"We've got a lot of evidence to sift through," Flaherty said.

The evidence, he said, included bags that could have belonged to the gunman.

Police said Dermyer was a Michigan native and served in the Marine Corps for four years. He joined the force in Nov. 2014 after graduating from the Virginia State Police Academy.

He recently transferred to the state police's Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Interdiction Unit that looks for suspicious activity in transportation hubs. He was undergoing drug interdiction training at the bus station on Thursday.

Prior to joining Virginia State Police, Dermyer was also an officer with the Newport News Police Department and the Jackson Police Department in Michigan.

Dermyer was married with two young children.

The last Virginia trooper to be killed in the line of duty was 27-year-old Trooper Nathan-Michael Smith of Henrico. Smith was responding to a call for an officer in distress on Sept. 21 when patrol car crashed in Prince George County. He died at VCU Medical Center.

Police are not identifying the suspect until his family has been notified. They did say he had a criminal history.

The Greyhound Bus Station is located west of the city's downtown area, across from Richmond's minor league baseball stadium and within a former industrial area. It is located on a main thoroughfare connecting a residential district to the stadium and nearby restaurants.

Greyhound said Thursday afternoon that the bus station would be closed until further notice.

Geller said K-9 teams have swept through the bus terminal and it has been cleared.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Information from the Associated Press used in this report.