A Virginia State Police trooper has succumbed to the injuries he sustained in a shooting at a bus station in Richmond that also left the gunman dead Thursday afternoon.
Trooper Chad P. Dermyer approached a man just inside the front doors of the Greyhound bus station in the 2900 block of North Boulevard around 2:40 p.m. after began talking to him, according to a department news release.
During their conversation, the man pulled out a handgun and shot the trooper multiple times. The 37-year-old trooper was transported to VCU Medical Center where he died a few hours later.
As the gunman continued firing, two nearby troopers returned fire, hitting the suspect. Officials said the man continued to be combative as police took him into custody and EMS crews tried to render aid to him.
He was transported to VCU Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Police have confirmed the male subject’s identification, but are still in the process of notifying his next of kin.
During the shooting, two women in the bus terminal were also wounded. Both were transported to VCU Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
No other law enforcement personnel or civilians were injured in the shooting.
Approximately a dozen Virginia State Police troopers were participating in specialized training on criminal interdiction practices. They had completed the classroom instruction and were conducting field practicals at the time the shooting occurred. Trooper Dermyer's encounter with the male subject was part of the training and he was in uniform at the time of the shooting.
The shooting remains under investigation.
Dermyer, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, graduated from the Virginia State Police Academy November 2014. He previously served with the City of Newport News Police Department and the Jackson Police Department in his homestate of Michigan.
He is survived by his wife and two young children.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
