Victims totaled 150 years of city service
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Four were engineers who worked to maintain streets and protect wetlands. Three were right-of-way agents who reviewed property lines. The others included an account clerk, a technician, an administrative assistant and a special projects coordinator. In all, they had served the city of Virginia Beach for more than 150 years.
These 11 city employees and one contractor were wiped out Friday when a fellow city worker opened fire inside a municipal building. A day after the shooting, city officials sought to honor them by sharing their job titles and years of service in a somber slideshow.
“They leave a void that we will never be able to fill,” said City Manager Dave Hansen, who had worked for years with many of the dead.
Police Chief James Cervera identified the assailant as DeWayne Craddock, who had been employed for 15 years as an engineer with the city’s utilities department. He declined to comment on a motive for the rampage, which ended with Craddock’s death in a gun battle with officers. City officials uttered his name just once and said they would not mention it again.
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.
In response to a reporter’s question, Cervera said the gunman had not been fired.
One of the dead, Christopher Kelly Rapp of Powhatan, enjoyed Scottish music and joined a pipe band last fall. He played with the group in October during a Celtic festival in Virginia and marched with bandmates on St. Patrick’s Day.
“Chris was reserved but very friendly, quietly engaging members one-on-one after our weekly practices,” the band, Tidewater Pipes & Drums, said in a statement.
Authorities have said Craddock fired indiscriminately. At least three other people who were wounded remained hospitalized Saturday.
Craddock appeared to have had no felony record, making him eligible to purchase guns. Government investigators identified two .45-caliber pistols used in the attack, said Ashan Benedict, the regional special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
All indications were that the shooter purchased the weapons legally, one in 2016 and one in 2018, Benedict said. The police chief said at least one had a noise suppressor.
Hundreds of people attended a Saturday prayer vigil for the dead.
Neighbors described Craddock as a car enthusiast and bodybuilder.
Amanda Archer, 22, and Cassetty Howerin, 23, lived in a townhome beneath Craddock for the past year.
“He wasn’t much of a talker,” Archer said. “He’s a mystery to us. He’s a mystery to everybody, apparently.”