VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Two runners, both former Building Two employees, met outside the shuttered building at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center to run in honor of their 12 coworkers who were killed on May 31st, 2019.
Wayne Phelps and Peter Pommerenk both worked on the second floor of Building Two. Pommerenk worked there for 10 years and Phelps worked there for 33 years before he retired.
They ran to commemorate the victims of last year's shooting, when a disgruntled employee shot and killed 12 people and injured four more that afternoon.
Phelps and Pommerenk were joined by a small group of friends and family. They decided to run in memory after scrolling through Facebook, Phelps told News 3.
Phelps said he worked that day, but Pommerenk departed from his position at Building Two before the shooting happened.
"I took a walk and happened to be coming back along this stretch right here, standing probably right about here, when I met a coworker standing out here," Phelps said. "She couldn't talk, she was stammering and just in shock."
"I was actually on a run home," Pommerenk said. "I'd already left the engineering division before that happened."
Phelps said he would have hoped for a larger gathering, but could not plan it due to COVID-19 restrictions.
