Dinwiddie County, Va. - Police have confirmed that a state trooper was shot and killed in Dinwiddie this afternoon during a traffic stop on Interstate 85. 63-year-old Junius Walker died at the scene.
He is a 35 year veteran with the department.
State police say that shortly before 1:20 p.m. Master Trooper Walker pulled up next to a black sedan that was stopped on the right shoulder of the southbound lanes of I-85 to check on its driver.
Moments later, the sedan’s driver opened fire. Walker’s patrol car then lunged forward and ran off the right side of the road, coming to rest in the woods approximately 30 feet from the interstate.
A passing motorist called 911 to report a trooper was in distress. The first two state troopers to arrive on scene were approximately three miles north of the incident assisting with a VDOT work zone in the southbound lanes of I--85.
One of the two troopers witnessed 28-year-old Russell E. Brown of Chesterfield standing outside Walker’s patrol car with a weapon.
The responding trooper and Brown exchanged gunfire before Brown fled into the woods.
At approximately 1:58 p.m., deputies with the Dinwiddie County Sheriff’s Office took Brown into custody without incident after he was discovered hiding at a local business approximately a half mile away.
He has been charged with one count of capital murder of a police officer, one count of attempted capital murder of a police officer, and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Meanwhile, the heat from the engine of Walker’s vehicle sparked a brush fire under his vehicle. The two responding troopers were able to pull Walker from his burning vehicle. However, he had been shot multiple times and succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Brown, who was not injured in the incident, is currently being held without bond at the Meherrin River Regional Jail in Alberta, Va.
Walker is survived by his wife and two adult daughters. He joined the Department March 1, 1973, and spent nearly 30 years patrolling Dinwiddie County.
Walker is the Department’s 59th line-of-duty death for the Virginia State Police in its 81 year history, police said. The department lost Trooper Andrew D. Fox on Oct. 5, 2012, in Hanover County, when he was struck by a vehicle while directing traffic.
