VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The City of Virginia Beach will come together Tuesday to honor those killed three years ago.
On May 31, 2019, a disgruntled city employee shot and killed 12 people inside Building Two at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center.
For the families of those that were lost, the pain is still very real.
Michael Lusich said he will never forget that phone call.
"I called Kate’s mom and she said, 'She’s gone. She’s been killed,'" Lusich said.
His niece, Kate Nixon, was one of the 12 people gunned down.
"It was tragic, very tragic," said Lusich.
On the third anniversary of what Jason Nixon, Kate's husband, calls Virginia Beach’s 9/11, their family is laying Kate’s ashes to rest.
"All Kate ever wanted to do was come home... to be with her family, to be with her kids," he said. "I just think it's going to help bring some closure with me and the girls."
On Tuesday, Kate Nixon, Keith Cox, Richard Nettleton, Joshua Hardy, Robert Williams, Tara Welch Gallagher, Herbert Snelling, Mary Louise Gayle, Alexander Gusev, Michelle Langer, Christopher Rapp, and Laquita Brown will be honored multiple times and in multiple ways throughout the day.
It begins with a moment of silence at 4:06 p.m. That's when the first 911 call came in. The city is asking people to pause wherever they are at that time.
The "forget-me-not" flower is once again painted on Mount Trashmore and city buildings will turn blue when the sun goes down.
The main memorial event happens Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at Mount Trashmore. This will be the first official in-person gathering to mark the day since it happened.
"It was PTSD when it happened, and it’s still PTSD. It’s still something heavy on all of our hearts," said Lusich.
The city is asking everyone to wear blue and turn your porch lights the same color.
Virginia State Flags will also be flown at half-staff tomorrow, per Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s orders.
You will also see remembrance flags featuring the Love For VB symbol flying at more than 40 locations throughout the city.
No matter how you mark the day, Jason Nixon just wants to make sure his wife and the other victims of that tragic day are never forgotten, this year, and in all the years to come.