2019 Virginia Beach Shooting

On May 31, 2019, a mass shooting occurred at Building 2 of the Virginia Beach Municipal Center in the Princess Anne area of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The gunman, 40-year-old DeWayne Antonio Craddock, a city employee in the public utilities department, killed 12 people and wounded four others before being fatally shot by responding police officers during a prolonged gunfight. The attack is described as the second-deadliest workplace shooting in U.S. history after the 1986 Edmond post office shooting, and the deadliest mass shooting in Virginia since the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting.

Craddock began the attack by fatally shooting a person in a car in the building's parking lot and another person on the steps outside, before entering and shooting people on all three floors of the building. The facility, which housed the city's public works, utilities, and planning departments, was an open-government building without additional security to enter, though security passes were required for employee areas and conference rooms. Craddock fired indiscriminately, and authorities found no immediate indication he had targeted specific individuals. An autopsy confirmed his cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds and found no drugs in his system at the time of the attack.

Confusion during the shooting was compounded by ongoing renovations, which led some people to initially mistake gunfire for construction noise such as a nail gun. An active-shooter situation was formally confirmed by the city's Communications Office at 4:22 p.m. and by the city manager around 4:40 p.m. The police response was reportedly slowed by electronic security doors requiring a badge to open. The FBI, ATF, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security assisted local and state police. Investigators recovered two semi-automatic pistols, a suppressor, and multiple extended magazines at the scene; Craddock had purchased the firearms legally within the previous three years.

Of the 12 people killed, 11 were city employees and one was a contractor visiting the building to obtain a permit. The employees collectively had 150 years of service, ranging from 11 months to 41 years. Six of the victims worked in the public utilities department alongside Craddock. Four additional people were hospitalized, three in critical condition, and a police officer was shot but protected by his ballistic vest.

Craddock had submitted his resignation by email to city management a few hours before the attack and still held a security pass allowing him access to employee areas. City officials stated he had no ongoing disciplinary issues at the time of his resignation, despite earlier reports of physical altercations with coworkers. He had legally acquired six firearms over at least three years, five chambered in .45 ACP, and had no prior criminal record apart from minor traffic violations.

In the aftermath, vigils were held for the victims, and police held a news conference detailing the names, photos, job titles, and hometowns of those killed, stating they would name the perpetrator only once and never again. On July 2, 2019, the Virginia Beach City Council voted to order an independent investigation into the circumstances of the shooting after some victims' families expressed dissatisfaction with information released by authorities. Public officials, including Virginia's governor, mayor, attorney general, and members of Congress, issued statements of condolence and calls for action on gun violence.