The 12 people who were shot dead in a Virginia Beach government building have been remembered at a sombre news conference and prayer vigil in the city as officials sought to focus on th
By Associated Ben Finley, Associated Press
June 1 2019 6:57 PM
The 12 people who were shot dead in a Virginia Beach government building have been remembered at a sombre news conference and prayer vigil in the city as officials sought to focus on those who died, and not the gunman.
Authorities named the assailant as 40-year-old DeWayne Craddock, who was employed for 15 years as an engineer with the city’s utilities department.
Police chief James Cervera declined to comment on a motive for Friday’s rampage in the Virginian coastal city, which ended with Craddock’s death following a gun battle with police.
City officials uttered his name just once and said they would not mention it again.
Local official Dave Hansen said he had worked for years with many of the dead, 11 of whom were city employees. The 12th was a contractor trying to obtain a permit.
Their names and photos were projected on a screen as Mr Hansen read aloud biographical information that included their hometowns and years of service.
“They leave a void that we will never be able to fill,” he said.
Chaplains and family assistance workers worked through the night to notify relatives – a job that Mr Hansen described as “the most difficult task anyone will ever have to do”.
One of the dead employees had worked for the city for 41 years.
Six worked in the same department as Craddock, though authorities have declined to say if anyone was specifically targeted or if the suspect had issued threats before. The victims were found throughout the building, on three floors, police said.
Authorities have said Craddock opened fire indiscriminately.
Four other people were wounded, including a police officer whose bulletproof vest saved his life.
The suspect was armed with a .45-caliber handgun with a noise suppressor, police said.
Mr Cervera said more weapons were found at the scene and at his home.
Officers also said the gunman made multiple legal firearm purchases recently, and the guns recovered at the scene were purchased legally.
The building was open to the public, but security passes were required to enter inner offices, conference rooms and other work areas. As a current employee, Craddock would have had the pass to enter the inner offices, Mr Hansen said.
