Christopher Serrano’s family is mourning the father of two as police investigate what led to the shooting that killed two employees.
MANASSAS, VA — The wife of a man killed in a workplace shooting at a Northern Virginia equipment rental business is remembering him as a devoted father and partner after receiving a final message and phone call from him as the violence unfolded.
Christopher Serrano, 33, was one of two employees killed Wednesday in a shooting at a United Rentals facility in Manassas. Police identified the other man who died as 48-year-old Richard Lamont. A third employee was hospitalized in stable condition. Police identified the gunman as Marvin Grant, 37, of Charlotte, North Carolina, a coworker who later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a standoff with Virginia State Police on Interstate 81. Investigators have not determined a motive.
Serrano’s wife, Mayra, told FOX 5 DC that her husband sent her a text saying that someone had brought a gun to work. She repeatedly called his phone after receiving the message. Eventually, someone who was caring for Serrano answered, allowing her to speak with her husband. She said his final words to her over the phone were, “I love you.” She described Serrano as a loving father, partner and son whose family loved him deeply.
Serrano leaves behind his wife, a 3-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son who had celebrated his birthday only days before the shooting. His wife wrote in an online fundraiser that being a father was central to Serrano’s life and said she was struggling with the reality that their children will now grow up without him. Family members shared photographs and memories of Serrano as they began processing his death.
Serrano’s brother-in-law, Emanuel Maturano Garcia, told FOX 5 that he learned about the shooting while returning from Madrid. His sister called him while he was on the plane and told him Serrano had been shot. Garcia later received a message saying Serrano had died. He said the family was struggling to understand the loss and that he had not known of any workplace dispute involving Serrano or of any connection between Serrano and Grant beyond their employment.
The shooting was reported shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday at the United Rentals facility on Wellington Road. Police said Grant opened fire on three coworkers during what authorities initially described as a workplace altercation. Manassas Police Chief Douglas Keen said investigators learned that Grant had told another coworker before the gunfire that three people were going to die. Police have not said what prompted the statement or identified a motive for the attack.
Grant fled the Manassas area after the shooting, prompting a search that extended across Virginia. Detectives used cellphone information to track him toward the Harrisonburg area, authorities said. Virginia State Police later encountered him on Interstate 81 in Augusta County. The encounter led to a pursuit and standoff before Grant shot himself. State police said troopers did not use force during the standoff.
The shooting also carried a personal connection for Keen, who said he had previously coached youth football with Lamont. The chief recalled Lamont’s commitment to his children and said the death was especially painful for the community. The violence prompted security measures around the shooting scene, including precautions at nearby schools, while officers searched for Grant and investigators worked at the business.
Police said Grant was a relatively new employee at the facility. Investigators are examining evidence to determine what happened before the shooting and whether the attack had been planned. Keen said authorities learned that Grant had changed his vehicle’s license plate overnight, a detail detectives are reviewing as they reconstruct his actions before and after the gunfire. Police have not announced a confirmed reason for the shooting.
Although Grant’s death ended the search for the suspected gunman, Keen said investigators do not consider the unanswered questions resolved. Detectives continue working to establish a motive and determine what led to the violence as the families of Serrano and Lamont mourn their deaths and the surviving employee recovers from his injuries.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 1, 2026.