VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — May 31 is a somber day in Virginia Beach. Five years ago on a shooter entered Building 2 at Virginia Beach's municipal center and killed 12 people and injured others.
Survivors and loved ones continue to feel the pain from that day. Some of them gathered near Building 30 on Friday.
There the names of those lost were read out:
Katherine A. Nixon
Laquita C. Brown
Tara Wlech Gallagher
Mary Louise Gayle
Alexander Mikhail Gusev
Richard Nettleton
Christopher Kelly Rapp
Ryan Keith Cox
Joshua O. Hardy
Michelle "Missy" Langer
Robert "Bobby" Williams
Herbert "Bert" Snelling
There was a moment of silence at 4:06 —the time the first 911 call came in.
"I miss him. Miss him tremendously," Ervin Cox, brother of Ryan Keith Cox told News 3. "[I've been doing] good up until today. And then this is like, 'Oh boy, we lost Keith, my baby brother.'"
Cox, and others, remember Ryan Keith Cox's heroic actions.
"He was the hero who died saving the eight women," said Cox.
Investigations
VB Municipal Center mass shooting 5th anniversary looks at memorial plan
He said the ceremony is a way to honor his brother's and others' lives. It's where each family member and survivor, tied together in trauma, are trying to find a way forward while grappling with the past.
"For the past five years I tried to live a more purposeful life," said Kelly O Mills, P.E. Public Works, of reading an impact statement at the ceremony.
Mills and Cox are two of many working on a permanent memorial.
Friday's gathering was also a dedication of thememorial site.
Watch previous coverage: Virginia Beach Municipal Center mass shooting 5th anniversary looks at memorial plan for victims
"There are many people who are still not in a place where they can look at that building or step on that site," explained Police Sgt. Brian Ricardo. He's one of the first responders to Building Two. "There is a plaque in former Building 2 that acknowledges what happened on May 31, 2019. But this location right here is where the permanent memorial will be built."
The site will include a hero's tree, a survivor's grove, and words of encouragement.
"We hope you feel we have respectfully and thoughtfully honored your loved ones, your friends, your memories and your stories," Sgt. Ricardo spoke to the crowd.
"We will never forget that dreadful day five years ago when unspeakable violence rocked the foundation of our city. But the thing is it is very important that we acknowledge and remember," said Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer.
Some families still want more assistance and accountability to deal with the tragedy.
For now, however, some look forward to seeing the memorial for their loved ones take shape.
"Until you go through what we went through and have to deal with all the pressure and the grief and all then you will understand it's not a waste," said Cox.
Other ways those impacted are remembered is by the Love For VB flower, the forget-me-not flower, displayed around the city and city facilities illuminated in the color blue.
