VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — This morning the Virginia Beach Municipal Center re-opened its doors for the first time since Friday’s mass shooting.
So, city employees are returning to work with hugs and mixed emotions.
“It’s very heartbreaking, it’s very sad, it’s very emotional,” Laura Poyner.
For Laura Poyner, returning to work includes a tough view because the scene of where she lost 12 co-workers is right next-door to her city work building.
She remembers the terrifying moments on Friday and said, “my supervisor came up and whispered in my ear that there was an active shooter.”
“It was just kind of surreal,” she said. “There were tears, there were hugs, just raw emotions because we could see the police outside the window.”
Those people outside the window, included five of the SWAT team medics, from Emergency Medical Services, who quickly ran inside of building two.
“Incredibly they were able to go through while bullets were still flying,” said Virginia Beach Department of Emergency Management Division Chief, Bruce Neselka.
In a hurry, these brave first responders pulled victims out and immediately treated them.
“I was hoping that everybody would come out safe,” Neselka said.
He said the city prepares regularly for emergencies like this, which is why the response between all police, fire, and EMS departments was quick and smooth.
“Being there, it’s fast moving you don’t really think of it at the time you just go because that’s what you’ve been trained to do,” said Neselka.
Even though twelve lives are lost, first responders and city workers are moving forward returning to work through the grief.
“We deal with, everybody deals with this in their own way. Knowing that the support of the community is there, is a very big help,” Neselka said.
“It will be in our thoughts and in our prayers every single day when we walk through those buildings,” said Poyner.
About 400 employees worked inside building two, the scene of the shooting. It's unclear where they will temporarily work next.
