State trooper and gunman killed in shooting at Greyhound bus station

Both the trooper and gunman were transported to a local hospital where they died from their injuries.

(Steve Helber/Associated Press)

A state trooper and gunman have been killed after the shooter opened fire at a Greyhound bus station in Richmond, Virginia.

Virginia State Police identified the shooter as 34-year-old James Brown III of Aurora, Illinois. Investigators have not yet identified a motive.

Two women were also wounded in the shooting but are expected to survive their injuries, Colonel W Steven Flaherty said on Thursday.

The trooper was identified as 37-year-old Chad Dermyer, who is survived by his wife and two children. Dermyer graduated from the police academy in 2014 and served as an officer in both Jackson, Michigan and Newport News, Virginia.


 Steve Helber/Associated Press
 (Steve Helber/Associated Press)

Police were called to the scene at around 2:45pm in the city of Richmond. The shooting occurred after a brief exchange between Dermyer and Brown. Both the trooper and gunman were rushed to the hospital where they later died from their injuries.

“He has a history of charges, but we haven’t been able to sort through what convictions he had,” Colonel Flaherty said of Brown. “There’s not much we’ve ruled out, but certainly there’s no indication of terrorism.”

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe responded to the shooting by offering any state resources needed in the ongoing investigation.

"I have spoken with the Mayor of Richmond and the Superintendent of the Virginia State Police and offered whatever state resources mya be necessary to respond to this 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."