VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It’s been more than three and a half years since a gunman opened fire at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, but the trauma of that day is still etched in the hearts and minds of the community.
On May 31, 2019, Virginia Beach City Engineer DeWayne Craddock entered Building Two and started shooting. He killed 12 people and injured five others.
The mass shooting made international headlines and broke the hearts of people throughout Hampton Roads.
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The shooter was killed by police that day.
The News 3 Investigative Team submitted open records requests to get new police body camera video that shows what unfolded as Virginia Beach police officers stormed the building, searching for survivors and stopping the gunman on that Friday afternoon.
News 3 has been speaking to the loved ones of those who were killed. Those loved ones are now banding together to take on the city.
Newly released body camera videos show panic and chaos from that terrible day when the gunman went from room to room looking for victims.
Through a Freedom of Information request, News 3 obtained hours of the police body camera video worn by the Virginia Beach Police Officers running towards danger. Much of the video was redacted by the City of Virginia Beach.
On the morning of the shooting, the gunman sent in his resignation letter to his supervisor from Building 2. Hours later, police said he went on to commit the heinous act.
Three and a half years later, Former Lt. Governor and Lawyer Justin Fairfax told News 3 he is now representing six of the families who lost loved ones in this workplace shooting.
The most publicly outspoken is Jason Nixon. He lost his wife Kate and he’s been very critical about what he calls a lack of transparency from the city of Virginia Beach since the beginning of this investigation.
Nixon and family members of other victims told News 3 it was very difficult for them to find someone who would represent them in court over the past few years. Some said they were made to be fearful of speaking to the media or taking legal action against the city of Virginia Beach because they would lose benefits that had been promised to them.
Previously, the city and an outside agency hired by the city, Hillard Heintze concluded that there was no evidence that could provide a clear motive for the shooting.
Some of the victims' families were furious. Several told News 3 being hearing was no motive has hindered their healing process because they feel that there was a motive.
“If anybody tells me that they don’t have a motive that’s insane,” said Nixon.
Nixon said his wife complained about Craddock several times. He said she was concerned about him and expressed those concerns.
According to the FBI, VBPD requested assistance from the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), based in Quantico, Virginia.
A the summary of BAU’s key findings is below:
BAU assesses the shooter was motivated by perceived workplace grievances, which he fixated on for years. BAU found the shooter struggled with how he perceived his own work performance and how others at work viewed him. The shooter’s inflated sense of self-importance contributed to this conflict and led him to believe he was unjustly and repeatedly criticized and slighted. Violence was viewed by the shooter as a way to reconcile this conflict and restore his perverted view of justice.
BAU assesses the shooter’s perceived grievances began taking shape as early as 2014, and he purposely isolated himself by disengaging from relationships to conceal his intentions. For this reason, BAU assesses that no individual or group was in a position to see the confluence of behaviors that may have forewarned the attack.
BAU assesses that the shooter suffered from significant mental health stressors which appear to have contributed in part to his decompensation in advance of the attack; however mental health stressors alone cannot explain the Virginia Beach attack.
BAU further assesses that the Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooter is similar in many ways to other active shooters studied by the FBI. Mass shootings are a predatory act, generally with planned and purposeful violence intended for an identified target, person, place, or institution.
It is important to note that only the shooter knew the real reason why he committed this horrific act of violence; however, at this time, the FBI is confident, based on evidence collected, that the above assessment is accurate.
“This, to me, is one of the greatest injustices in Virginia history when you look at the fact that 12 people were murdered, mass murdered in a government building here in Virginia Beach and others of course were wounded and so many more traumatized and these families have not yet gotten the support that they deserve," Fairfax said. They’ve not gotten the healing, they’ve not gotten the truth and transparency that anyone of us would want to have."
“It’s all about damage control and it’s been that way since day one," Nixon said. "They did nothing but manipulate us and the families."
News 3 has also been closely following the developments with the Virginia State Commission created to investigate the mass shooting. There have been issues with members stepping down from their positions.
News 3 reached out to the city of Virginia Beach about the concerns that family members of those killed have expressed to us:
- Mental health resources limited or cut off after a certain timeframe.
- Paying out of pocket for therapy they say they still need today.
- Money provided for workers’ compensation to family members of those killed was $1.5 million over the course of 3.5 years verse money put forth to renovate Building 2 which is $26 million dollars.
- Lack of use of Red Cross after the shooting, instead having the Honor Guard sent to the victim’s homes.
- Several families members told News 3 discouraged them from speaking to each other and the media after the shooting.
- New information about the possibility of a laptop owned by the shooter surfacing.
- Despite the findings in the various studies, family members expressed concern over the city and the independent study stating in their report that the shooter had no motive.
The City of Virginia Beach provided the following statement issued on Jan. 11:
The horrific events of May 31, 2019 left an indelible scar on everyone affiliated with the City of Virginia Beach, especially the families of those who died and were injured that day. Four investigative reviews have occurred in the past 3.5 years to help us try to understand this senseless tragedy:
• Our Virginia Beach Police Department conducted an in-depth internal investigation and shared the results publicly.
• Hillard Heintze conducted an independent review. We continue to implement recommendations of this report to include efforts like Human Resources centralization and security improvements through the addition of our Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Security Division.
• The City fully cooperated with the FBI. The FBI independently reviewed all known electronic data associated with the shooter.
• The City continues to assist the Commission on the May 31, 2019 Virginia Beach Mass Shooting. We have answered the questions of the commission in writing and have attended their public meeting. We continue to respond to their questions related to ongoing efforts of our organization as part of this incident.
The City has willingly supported our employees and the victims' families since that day. While not an exhaustive list of our support, the City provided the following:
• Every victim's family was offered individual meetings with our Police Department to review and discuss investigative findings.
• The City established a dedicated office and staff resources committed to long-term recovery efforts for those impacted and our workforce.
• The six physically injured workers have received from the City a combined $5.3M in workers compensation benefits to-date.
• The estates of the 11 employees we lost that day have received from the City a combined $1.5M in workers compensation benefits.
o The above funding is in addition to the kind donations the families/injured workers received from the United Way-administered charitable fund.
• The VB Strong Center, established October 2019, continues to offer services into 2023 to empower and uplift those affected by May 31 in their journeys to healing and resiliency.
The City shares the families' desire to obtain a full forensic evaluation of the recently discovered laptop that allegedly belongs to the shooter. We look forward to prompt submission of this laptop to a law enforcement agency for evaluation. We share the families' hopes that it will shed further light on May 31, 2019.
This is the response from the City of Virginia Beach on Jan. 27:
The City's response (in the statement below) addresses our efforts and support following 5/31. It's important to reiterate that outreach to families continues through both our Office of Recovery and Resiliency and our partner Catholic Charities through the VB Strong Center. Families seeking assistance navigating resources, to include mental health needs, have direct support from City staff and/or our partner, as we understand this is a comprehensive process for anyone going through their recovery journey. The number to call is 757-385-8826 (City) or 757-507-7200 (VB Strong Center).
Fairfax said the families he’s representing want more city, state, and federal funds and resources put towards victims of mass shootings including those who suffered during the tragedy on May 31, 2019, and any other Virginians who are forced to endure this type of pain.
He said the money and support have not been enough, especially after plans for Building 2 were announced.
“Then they turn around and spend $26 million for the building? It’s outrageous. It truly is outrageous. It’s mind-boggling to think that you’d spend $26 million and counting on windows, and floors and bathrooms and virtually nothing on families,” said Fairfax.
Family members that News 3 spoke to said the support from the members of the community was overwhelming and extremely generous. They said the amount of love they received was wonderful in the aftermath of the shooting.
News 3 requested interviews with the city of Virginia Beach. They didn't acknowledge our repeated requests to speak to someone from the city.
Fairfax does not represent all the families, just six of them.
Fairfax recently settled a more than $3 million lawsuit with the city of Virginia Beach over the shooting of Donovan Lynch.
