‘Void’ left in wake of Va. shooting
Hundreds gather at prayer vigil to honor victims of massacre
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The 12 people who were fatally shot in a Virginia Beach government building were remembered Saturday during a somber news conference and prayer vigil as officials sought to put the focus on those who died and not the gunman.
Police Chief James Cervera identified the assailant as DeWayne Craddock, who was employed for 15 years as an engineer with the city’s utilities department.
He declined to comment on a motive for Friday’s rampage, which ended with Craddock’s death in a gunbattle with police. City officials uttered his name just once and said they would not mention it again.
City Manager Dave Hansen said he had worked for years with many of the dead, 11 of whom were city employees. The 12th victim was a contractor trying to get a permit.
Their names and photos were projected on a screen as 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 staffers worked Friday and Saturday to notify relatives — a job that 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 gunman had issued threats before. The victims were found throughout the building, on three floors, police said.
At least four other people were wounded, including a police officer whose bulletproof vest saved his life. Three remain hospitalized in critical condition.
Joseph Scott, an engineering technician with the public utilities department, said he had a brief interaction with Craddock on Friday. Scott said he saw him in the men’s restroom about five minutes before the shooting.
“He was in there brushing his teeth, which he always did after he ate,” Scott said. “I said ‘Hey, how you doing? What are you doing this weekend?’ It was just a brief conversation.”
Scott said he left for the day right afterward and learned of the shooting when a co-worker and then his son called him.
“I couldn’t believe that it happened,” he said.
Scott was among more than 200 mourners who attended a Saturday prayer vigil for those killed. The crowd included city workers, community leaders and residents who just wanted to offer hugs and condolences. Many openly sobbed or dabbed their eyes with tissues.
Gov. Ralph Northam also attended. “We grieve with you,” Northam said. “We are all in this together.”
Scott said he, his wife and several other people also prayed for the shooter.
“He was a human too, and his family is hurting too,” Scott said.
President Donald Trump has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in memory of the victims.
Trump said in a statement released by the White House on Saturday that he was ordering the action as a “mark of solemn respect for the victims of the terrible act of violence.”