VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Six weeks after a gunman opened fire at the Virginia Beach municipal center, City Auditor Lyndon Remias said his office will decide this week which private firm will lead an independent investigation into what happened.
Remias confirmed 15 companies have placed bids.
"We want to ensure that the firm we select can hit the ground running," he said.
The gunman is identified as a longtime city employee; the victims were his co-workers.
Remias said that, among other things, the investigation will review the timeline of events leading up to the shooting and will investigate the shooter's employment history and workplace interactions.
"There were some questions in regards to his [the gunman's] status as an employee. Was he going to be fired? Was he a good employee?" Remias asked.
Remias said the chosen firm will have "unfettered access" to city documents and cooperation from city police. He expects the review will take months and cost at least $350,000.
The deadline for companies to submit a bid to lead the investigation was Friday. Remias said his team will conduct interviews and review the bids on Monday and Tuesday.
"We received in fact, 15 separate bids, coming from as far as Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C.," he said. "We hope to have the firm selected by midweek and a contract signed no later by this week or at the end of next week."
The independent firm must begin its investigation no later than August 15, but Remias noted his office is ahead of schedule.
Here's the list of the 15 bids:
- Augustus Global: Harwood Heights, IL
- Chris Swecker Law: Charlotte, NC
- CNA: Arlington, VA
- DLA Piper, LLC: Washington, DC
- FH + H, PLLC: Tysons, VA
- Fishwick & Associates: Roanoke, VA
- Freeh Group International Solutions LLC: Wilmington, DE
- Gentry Locke Attorneys: Roanoke, VA
- Hillard Heintze: Chicago, Illinois
- Kroll, a division of Duff & Phelps: New York, NY
- Police Foundation: Washington, DC
- Professional Investigations: Williamsburg, VA
- SIGMA Threat Management Associates LLC: Alexandria, VA
- The Volkov Law Group LLC: Washington, DC
- Wolcott|Rivers|Gates Attorneys at Law: Virginia Beach, VA
The Associated Press contributed to this report