Trooper, suspect die in bus-station shooting

RICHMOND, Va. -- A gunman fatally shot a Virginia state trooper Thursday at a busy bus terminal in the capital city of Richmond before he was shot dead by two other troopers, police said. Two civilians also were shot but were expected to recover.

Trooper Chad P. Dermyer, 37, died after being shot multiple times, according to Virginia State Police superintendent Col. Steven Flaherty.

The civilians, both women, sustained non-life-threatening injuries, Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said.

Flaherty said investigators don't know what sparked the shooting. Dermyer had been participating with about a dozen other troopers in a training exercise at the bus station when a brief encounter with the gunman quickly turned violent, he said.

Dermyer was dressed in a fatigue-style uniform and was not wearing a protective vest, the superintendent said.

"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.

The gunman's identity was being withheld until his family could be notified.

A small army of law-enforcement officers in tactical gear and dozens of cruisers and emergency response vehicles flooded to the station in an area that includes a minor-league baseball stadium and a variety of commercial establishments and restaurants.