Washington: A police officer and a gunman have died after a shootout at a bus station on Thursday in the US state of Virginia — home of America’s powerful gun lobby.

Police said the attacker repeatedly shot at a state trooper who had approached him.

Two other police officers returned fire before the man was eventually subdued.

The gunman and the injured trooper, who was named as 37-year-old Chad Dermyer, were both taken to hospital where they died from their injuries.

Two women who were at the Greyhound bus station were also hurt in the incident but their injuries were not thought to be serious.

Greyhound said it was closing the station until further notice.

‘We are fully cooperating with the authorities and providing any information they may need, including video surveillance that was captured,’ it said on its website.

Virginia’s gun laws are relatively lax, and the state is home to the National Rifle Association, the powerful pro-gun lobby.