At 7:30 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 16), a Virginia State Police trooper initiated a traffic stop on a Ford Windstar minivan traveling east on I-64 in Augusta County. The minivan stopped on the right shoulder near the 89 mile marker.
The trooper approached the minivan and was obtaining the driver’s identification when the driver, Dennis G. Hoke Jr., 42, of Waynesboro, Va., displayed a firearm. The trooper immediately retreated to his patrol car to take cover.
Just as the trooper reached his car, an 8-year-old female passenger jumped out of the minivan screaming. The trooper ran to her aid and brought her back to his patrol car so she would be out of harm’s way.
Once back at his vehicle, shots were fired by both the driver and trooper.
Hoke died at the scene. His remains have been transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Roanoke for examination and autopsy.
Neither the trooper nor the juvenile was injured.
The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s “Police Shooting Team” out of the Appomattox Field Office is investigating the incident.
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Chris Graham
