News

Twelve dead, gunman killed in Virginia Beach shooting

by Tal Axelrod - 05/31/19 5:23 PM ET

Twelve people were killed and four were injured in a shooting Friday afternoon at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center. The suspected gunman was also killed.

Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said the shooter was a “longtime employee of public utilities” and at about 4 p.m. “began to indiscriminately fire upon all the victims” using a .45-caliber handgun with multiple extended magazines and a suppressor.

The suspect, identified Saturday as DeWayne Craddock, 40, a public utilities engineer, was killed after what was described as a “long-term gun battle” with four police officers. He is not included in the 12 victims Cervera reported dead.{mosads}

Officials identified the shooting victims on Saturday morning, saying all but one of them were city employees, with the other being a contractor.

One of the people injured was a Virginia Beach police officer, who officials said was saved by his vest.

Officials have not offered a motive in the shooting, though reports have emerged that described Craddock as a disgruntled employee.

“While the scene is secure, we have a long-term investigative process that is being undertaken right now,” Cervera told reporters Friday evening. “There’s a lot of work to be done.”

“We have more questions than we have answers,” he added. “None of us want to be here talking about this devastating incident that is going to change the lives of a number of families in our city.”

The attack occurred in a single building in the 30-building complex.

Chopper 10 Video: People were rushed out of the building. We still don’t know how many victims there are, but the FBI confirmed they are assisting in this investigation. https://t.co/VYth6Wr64z #VBActiveShooter pic.twitter.com/D9CbniqNVq

— WAVY TV 10 (@WAVY_News) May 31, 2019

President Trump said Saturday morning he had spoken with Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and the mayor and vice mayor of Virginia Beach to offer his condolences and the support of the federal government.

“Spoke to Virginia Governor @RalphNortham last night, and the Mayor and Vice Mayor of Virginia Beach this morning, to offer condolences to that great community. The Federal Government is there, and will be, for whatever they may need. God bless the families and all!” he tweeted.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Friday evening that Trump had been briefed on the shooting and was continuing to monitor the situation.

The FBI was also responding to the incident to assist local authorities, an FBI spokesperson confirmed to The Hill.

Northam was in Virginia Beach and offered the full resources of the commonwealth to deal with the shooting’s aftermath.

“This is a horrific day for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Our hearts ache over the senseless violence that has been inflicted on the Virginia Beach community today,” he told reporters Friday night.

– Updated: June 1 at 11 a.m.

Tags Donald Trump Mass shootings in the United States