A Virginia workplace shooting that left two employees dead and another wounded ended hours later with the suspected gunman fatally shooting himself along Interstate 81, authorities said.
Police identified the suspected shooter as 37-year-old Marvin Grant of Charlotte, North Carolina, an employee at the United Rentals facility in Manassas where the violence erupted Wednesday morning.
Investigators say Grant allegedly made an ominous statement to a coworker shortly before the shooting, warning that “three people are going to die.”
Minutes later, gunfire broke out.
Manassas City Police received a report of a shooting at the United Rentals facility on Wellington Road at approximately 7:11 a.m. on Sept. 30.
Officers and Prince William County sheriff’s deputies rushed to the business and found three employees suffering from gunshot wounds.
Two of the victims were later pronounced dead.
Police identified them as Ricky Lamot, 48, and Christopher Serrano, 33.
The third employee survived and remained hospitalized in stable condition. Authorities said he is expected to survive but will require surgery.
Investigators believe Grant fled the business before officers arrived, leaving in a gray Toyota Camry with North Carolina license plates.
Police Chief Doug Keen said authorities are still trying to determine exactly what led up to the shooting.
Their working theory is that some type of altercation took place at the workplace before Grant allegedly pulled a handgun from his waistband and opened fire.
Investigators are reviewing surveillance video from inside the facility in an effort to reconstruct the moments surrounding the attack.
Police said two of the victims were inside a garage or service bay area. The third victim apparently came from an office area and entered the garage.
The exact motive remained unclear as of Thursday.
After Grant fled Manassas, detectives began tracking his cellphone and determined that it was moving through the Harrisonburg area.
That information was passed to Virginia State Police, triggering a search along Interstate 81.
At approximately 8:20 a.m., state police were alerted that Grant could be traveling through Rockingham County.
A trooper eventually spotted the Toyota heading south on I-81 near mile marker 235 in Augusta County.
Police said Grant pulled into a rest area near mile marker 232 after troopers attempted to stop him.
He initially got out of the vehicle but then returned to the Toyota and drove back onto the interstate, authorities said.
A pursuit followed.
Several miles later, near mile marker 227, Grant pulled onto the shoulder of the highway and exited the vehicle.
This time, authorities said he was holding a gun to his own head.
Virginia State Police brought a tactical team and negotiator to the scene as authorities attempted to bring the confrontation to a peaceful end.
The interstate confrontation continued until approximately 10:30 a.m., when Grant suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to state police.
He was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead.
Virginia State Police said troopers did not fire their weapons or otherwise use force against Grant.
The shooting caused a significant police response back in Manassas as authorities initially searched for an armed suspect who had fled the area.
Nearby schools were temporarily placed under heightened security measures, while residents around the shooting scene were urged to remain inside and lock their doors.
Those restrictions were later lifted after authorities determined Grant had left the area.
United Rentals released a statement saying the company was cooperating with investigators and providing support to employees affected by the shooting.
One of the victims, Lamot, was remembered by Manassas Police Chief Keen as a devoted family man who had coached youth football.
Keen said the impact on Lamot’s children made the killings especially difficult for members of the community who knew him.
Although Grant’s death ended the immediate search for the suspected shooter, police said investigators still have unanswered questions.
Detectives are trying to determine what triggered the apparent workplace dispute, how long Grant had worked at the Manassas facility and whether anything happened before Wednesday morning that might help explain the attack.
Authorities have not publicly identified the surviving employee.
