VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The City of Virginia Beach will offer activities throughout the month of May in remembrance of the May 2019 Virginia Beach Municipal Center mass shooting.
On May 31, 2019, 12 people died and four more were injured in a shooting in Building 2.
Of the 12 victims, 11 of them worked for the city. News 3 remembers the men and women we lost on that tragic day:
- Laquita C. Brown
- Ryan Keith Cox
- Tara Welch Gallagher
- Mary Louise Gayle
- Alexander Mikhail Gusev
- Joshua O. Hardy
- Michelle “Missy” Langer
- Richard H. Nettleton
- Katherine A. Nixon
- Christopher Kelly Rapp
- Herbert “Bert” Snelling
- Robert “Bobby” Williams
This year, the city will hold an in-person ceremony for the first time since the pandemic, allowing the community to gather and commemorate the lives lost on May 31. The Three-Year Remembrance Ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31, at Mount Trashmore Park.
Limited seating is available in front of the stage. Guests are invited to bring their own chairs.
The Love For VB symbol is displayed around the city, including in the "Love" sign at the Virginia Beach Animal Care and Adoption Center and on flags at more than 40 locations in the city. The forget-me-not flower will again be painted at Mount Trashmore below the city seal; it's expected to be completed around mid-May.
City buildings will also light up blue in remembrance beginning May 23.
Additionally, the VB Strong Center, Virginia Beach Public Library, Virginia Beach Department of Human Services, and Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation will offer free, all-ages activities throughout May. Some of the activities on offer include a StoryWalk for children, yoga classes and virtual moments of reflection.
