The Virginia State Trooper has been identified as Chad Dermyer.
He was 37.
Dermyer was married and has two children and was originally from Jackson Michigan.
He is a former marine and was at the Greyhound terminal for specialized training on criminal interdiction.
State police have also identified the man who opened fire on Dermyer as James Brown III, 34, of Aurora, Ill. Two civilians were also shot at the terminal. Brown was shot dead by two other troopers.
Brown was traveling from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina to Chicago. Brown has a history of violence including gun violence and drug activity. Brown was well known to the authorities in/around Aurora Illinois, and had previously served two years in prison.
Statement from Virginia Law Enforcement – At approximately 2:40 p.m. Thursday, Virginia State Police Trooper Chad P. Dermyer approached a male subject just inside the front doors of the bus station. During the course of talking with the male subject, the male pulled out a handgun and shot the trooper multiple times. As the male subject continued firing his weapon, two state troopers, who were nearby, returned fire. The male suspect then moved into the terminal’s restaurant.
The shooter 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 died later Thursday afternoon. His remains were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for autopsy and examination. State police have confirmed the male subject’s identification, but are still in the process of notifying his next of kin. His
name will not be released until next of kin is formally notified. The suspect’s handgun was recovered at the scene.
During the course of the gunfire, two adult females inside the bus terminal were also shot. Both were transported to VCU Medical Center and are being treated for of non-life threatening injuries.
No other law enforcement personnel or civilians were injured in the shooting.
Trooper Dermyer was among approximately a dozen state police troopers participating in a 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.
Trooper Dermyer was in uniform at the time of the shooting. Trooper Dermyer, 37, was transported to VCU Medical Center, where he died later Thursday afternoon. Trooper Dermyer, a Jackson, Mich. native, graduated from the Virginia State Police Academy November 2014. His original patrol assignment was to the Chesapeake Division’s Area 46 Office, which encompasses the Virginia State Police cities of Newport News and Hampton.
He had just recently transferred to the state police CounterTerrorism and Criminal Interdiction Unit. Prior to joining the state police, Trooper Dermyer served with the City of Newport News Police Department and the Jackson, Mich., Police Department. Trooper Dermyer also served our nation for four years with the U.S. Marine Corps. He is survived by his wife and two young children. (read more)
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