MANASSAS, Va. — A 37-year-old United Rentals employee shot three of his coworkers Wednesday morning at the company’s facility on Wellington Road, killing two of them, before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound hours later during a police standoff on a Virginia interstate.
Manassas City Police Chief Douglas Keen identified the suspect as Marvin Grant, 37, of Charlotte, North Carolina, and the two men killed as Richard Lamot, 48, and Christopher Serrano, 33. A third victim, whose name police have not released, was hospitalized at Inova Fairfax Hospital in stable condition and is expected to survive following surgery, according to police. Keen described the attack as an act of “workplace violence” and said investigators had not yet determined a motive, though the day’s events ended with a statewide manhunt, a high-speed chase, and a negotiated standoff that concluded with Grant’s death on Interstate 81 in Augusta County.
Officers responded to the United Rentals facility at 9415 Wellington Road at approximately 7 a.m. Wednesday after multiple 911 callers reported an active shooter, according to police. A Prince William County sheriff’s deputy was the first to arrive, followed closely by Manassas City officers, who found three men — all United Rentals employees — who had been shot. Two victims were located in the facility’s garage area; a third had walked in from an adjacent office area. All three were transported to area hospitals in critical condition. Lamot and Serrano were later pronounced dead from their injuries. Keen told reporters at an afternoon news conference that Grant had arrived at work that morning and told a coworker, “three people are going to die,” before pulling a pistol from his waistband and opening fire. “There was some kind of altercation this morning,” Keen said. “He then produced a handgun and began shooting.”
After the shooting, Grant fled the facility in a gray Toyota Camry, according to police. Investigators later revealed that Grant had swapped out his vehicle’s license plates sometime after midnight Wednesday, placing temporary North Carolina tags on the car before driving to work. Manassas City police issued an alert to law enforcement agencies across Virginia and worked with state and federal partners to track Grant’s location using cellphone technology and witness information. Virginia State Police were notified around 8:20 a.m. that Grant may have been traveling through Rockingham County. A state trooper later spotted Grant’s Camry driving southbound on I-81 near mile marker 235 in Augusta County, more than 100 miles from the shooting scene. Troopers attempted to stop the vehicle at a rest area near mile marker 232, but Grant briefly stepped out of the car, got back in, and drove away southbound, prompting a chase. Grant then pulled over near mile marker 227, where state police brought in a tactical team and a trained negotiator. The standoff lasted approximately one hour before Grant suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound at around 10:30 a.m. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Virginia State Police confirmed that no troopers fired their weapons or used any force during the encounter.
Keen said Grant was a “fairly new employee” at the Wellington Road facility, and investigators were still working with United Rentals to determine how long he had been assigned there, whether he had worked at other company locations previously, and whether he had a local address in addition to his Charlotte, North Carolina residence. Police said they had no prior interactions with Grant before Wednesday’s incident. Keen also confirmed that at least eight employees were present at the facility at the time of the shooting, and that investigators were reviewing surveillance video from inside the building to reconstruct the sequence of events. Autopsies were ordered for both men killed. “What we don’t know is a motive,” Keen said. “That brings no relief to our victims’ families. We’ve got to figure out what happened here, what caused this.” United Rentals issued a statement saying the company was “working closely with law enforcement and providing support to affected team members,” adding that the safety and well-being of employees and the community were its top priority.
The two men killed leave behind families and communities that knew them well. Keen said he personally knew Lamot, describing him as a devoted family man who had spent years coaching youth football in Fauquier County. “September’s been a rough month. We lost a 16-year-old. Now I lost somebody I actually coached youth football with,” Keen said, referring to a separate shooting earlier that month that killed a teenage girl in Manassas. “Knowing his commitment and knowing his children are now fatherless, it hits home. It hits home for our community.” Serrano, 33, was described in an online fundraiser as a devoted partner and father to a 10-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl. His fiancée, Mayra Maturano, was reached by phone by officers as Serrano was being loaded into an ambulance. According to Keen, officers encouraged Serrano to speak to her during those final moments. His last words, Keen recounted, were: “I love you. I’m not gonna make it.”
The shooting prompted a swift response from public safety officials across Northern Virginia. Nearby schools, including Jennie Dean Elementary School, were placed on lockdown as a precaution while officers secured the area and searched for Grant. Students and staff from Jennie Dean were redirected to Metz Middle School during the lockdown. Officers blocked off access to Wellington Road and the Route 28 Bypass as the investigation unfolded. Those lockdowns were lifted after Grant was located on I-81, though Jennie Dean remained under a “secure status” — meaning normal operations could continue inside, but no one was permitted to enter or exit the building — through the end of the school day. Residents near the facility were advised to stay indoors and secure their doors while officers were on scene.
Investigators confirmed the shooting occurred primarily in the garage or bay area of the United Rentals facility, with at least one victim entering from the office area into the garage when the shooting began. Keen said “many shots” were fired, though the exact count had not yet been established. Police said the investigation is continuing and that Grant’s death does not bring the case to a close. “While some may consider the case closed with the death of Mr. Grant, it brings no closure to this case,” Keen said. Investigators are continuing to review surveillance footage, interview witnesses, and examine Grant’s background, employment history, and activities in the hours before the attack, including when and where he swapped the license plates on his vehicle.
As of Wednesday evening, the investigation remained active, with Manassas City police and Virginia State Police coordinating their efforts. Autopsies for Lamot and Serrano were pending, and detectives were still working to establish how many shots were fired, what led to the altercation, and what Grant’s full history at United Rentals included. The surviving victim was recovering at Inova Fairfax Hospital and was expected to need surgery. No charges were expected to be filed given Grant’s death, but authorities said a full investigative report would be completed.
