09/12/2025
Bryon K. Dickson II was born December 24, 1975, in Minot, North Dakota, to parents Bryon and Darla Dickson. He attended Wyoming Area High School. After high school, Dickson enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving honorably and achieving the rank of Sergeant prior to his discharge. Upon discharge from the Marines, Dickson attended the Pennsylvania State University and graduated in 2003.
Dickson enlisted with the Pennsylvania State Police in June, 2007. Upon graduation, Trooper Dickson was assigned to Troop N, Fern Ridge. In 2013, he was promoted to Corporal and assigned to Troop K, Philadelphia. On June 21, 2014, he transferred to Troop R, Blooming Grove where he served as a patrol unit supervisor.
On September 12, 2014, Corporal Dickson was working 3:00 – 11:00 p.m. As his shift was just about to end, he returned to station to account for his Troopers and to ensure a smooth transition to the midnight shift.
Unbeknownst to anyone at the station, a sniper was concealed in the adjacent woods and was waiting for an unsuspecting victim. As Corporal Dickson exited the front door, the coward took aim and fired.
Police Communications Operator Nicole Palmer heard a firecracker-type sound and rushed to Corporal Dickson’s aid when she spotted him lying motionless on the ground. He had been shot twice. Unable to drag him through the front entrance, she ran inside to get help.
As PCO Palmer disappeared into the building, Trooper Alex T. Douglass arrived for the start of his shift and pulled into a lower parking lot. As he approached the building, he spotted Corporal Dickson and started to kneel down to him when a bullet from the sniper penetrated his hip area.
As Trooper Douglass crawled into the foyer of the lobby, the other members at the station were rushing to their aid. Those members pulled Trooper Douglass to safety and quickly devised a plan to rescue Corporal Dickson. Under a shield of cover, they banded together, risked their own lives, and pulled him back into the building. They did all they could possibly do to save the lives of their brothers.
Trooper Douglass was transported to an awaiting helicopter and then airlifted in critical condition to Geisinger Medical Center, Scranton. Despite the best efforts of station personnel, Corporal Dickson succumbed to his injuries within the Blooming Grove Station.
Thousands of law enforcement officers and grieving citizens attended Corporal Dickson’s funeral service at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton. He was buried with full military honors at Dunmore Cemetery in Dunmore Borough, Lackawanna County.
Meanwhile, an intensive investigation identified Eric M. Frein, a self-described anarchist and survivalist, as the assassin and the largest manhunt in Pennsylvania State Police history commenced. Frein was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List and thousands of federal, state, and municipal law enforcement officers, from across the nation, combed the Pocono Mountains of Pike and Monroe Counties for Frein.
The evening of October 30, 2014, brought closure to the manhunt. An exhaustive, diligent search that spanned 48 days came to an end when Frein was spotted and captured by U.S. Marshals outside an airplane hangar in Pocono Township, Monroe County.
Corporal Dickson is survived by his wife, Tiffany, and two children, Bryon III, age 9; and Adam, age 6.
At 38 years of age, Corporal Dickson, a seven-year veteran of the Department, was the 95th member to be killed in the line of duty.
