News

Actions

ODU to dedicate permanent memorial for Virginia Beach shooting victims

Posted at 5:39 PM, Jun 11, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-11 17:39:57-04

NORFOLK, Va. – As the Hampton Roads community continues to mourn those who died and those who were injured in the mass shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, Old Dominion University is planning to dedicate a permanent memorial for the 12 people who lost their lives in the tragedy.

The 12 victims of the May 31 mass shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center

Five of the victims of the May 31 shooting attended the university.

A spokesperson for ODU’s alumni center told News 3 the school is considering two different locations on campus for the memorial: Kauffman Mall and somewhere in the vicinity of the Engineering Systems building.

The design is a collaboration of ideas between ODU’s facilities department and the Alumni Association. The spokesperson said while it is an ongoing creative process, they do know that they will plant a tree and position a bench near the tree with a plaque listing the names of the victims.

Faces of the Virginia Beach mass shooting

The memorial is expected to be dedicated during Homecoming Week in October. Though there is no information on the cost at this time, it will be paid for by the Alumni Association and is in the beginning stages of being designed.

“The Alumni Association received an outpouring of love and concern for the victims and their families, and we thought it was only fitting to recognize and honor them in a tangible and long-lasting way,” the spokesperson said when asked what inspired the permanent memorial. “The memorial will be a place of reflection and remembrance.”

Click here for our full coverage on the Virginia Beach mass shooting.