STAUNTON, Va. (AP) — Virginia State Police say preliminary findings indicate that a Waynesboro man fatally shot himself during a traffic stop on Interstate 64.
State police identified the man as 42-year-old Dennis G. Hoke Jr.
The incident occurred on Oct. 16 after a trooper stopped a minivan driven by Hoke along I-64 in Augusta County.
State police said Tuesday that the trooper was obtaining Hoke’s driver’s identification when Hoke displayed a firearm. As the trooper retreated to his patrol car to take cover, an 8-year-old girl jumped out of the minivan screaming.
The trooper brought the girl to his patrol car and then heard a gunshot. He returned fire.
State police say in a news release that the medical examiner’s findings indicate that Hoke shot himself. Hoke died at the scene.
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