A disgruntled employee went on a shooting rampage in a city building in Virginia Beach, killing 12 people before he died after a fierce gunbattle with officers.
« You see this on the news all the time and you pray for the people and hope they’re OK. But you never think it’s gonna happen to you, » said Megan Banton, who was in the building and barricaded with her coworkers. « I have an 11-month-old baby at home, and all I could think about was him and trying to make it home to him. »
As the stunned community mourned and asked why, authorities said it’s too early to determine a motive.
« Right now, we have a lot of questions. The whys, they will come later. Right now, we have more questions than we have answers, » Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said.
He fired through all three floors
The gunfire started at the end of the workday Friday while people were still visiting the municipal center for business.
The shooter was identified as DeWayne Craddock, according to a law enforcement official and a Virginia government source. He fired indiscriminately through all three floors of Building 2 of the city’s municipal center.
Cervera described him as a current, longtime public utilities worker with Virginia Beach city.
