VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — May 31, 2019, is a day that weighs heavily on many people in Virginia Beach.
“I was out of town at the time when it happened,” said Virginia Beach resident Jim Guina. “I came back, and it was a mess.
“I knew people who worked in that building,” said Virginia Beach resident Connie McKeon.
On this date four years ago, a city employee shot and killed 12 people inside the Virginia Beach Municipal Center. Four other people were hurt and countless lives were changed.
Connie McKeon decided to visit the forget-me-not tribute at Mount Trashmore on Wednesday.
“I think about them and the families of the people that were affected by this in any way,” McKeon said. “I thought it was fitting to take my walk down here today to honor those folks.”
Virginia Beach city leaders placed a "together we remember" banner on the side of Building 2 at the Municipal Center on Wednesday. They held a candlelight vigil for the community at 8 p.m.
The sweet sound of "Amazing Grace" also echoed around the Mount Trashmore tribute Wednesday afternoon. It’s a personal way Thom Metz remembers the victims every year.
“Whether there is one or 100 people, it doesn’t matter to me,” Metz said. “I am just here to remember my bandmate and the people who should be here but are not.”
Christopher Rapp is one of the 12 people who died in the shooting. Metz said he will cherish the time they spent playing bagpipes together.
“When Chris came into the room, and you said hello to him, there was this grin that came on his face and it was very good to see him,” Metz said.
Metz said he will loudly play on top of the hill every May 31.
“As long as I am piping, as long as I am in Virginia Beach, I will be up here every year remembering all those folks,” Metz said.
Remembrance events on Wednesday included a moment of silence at 4:06 p.m. That's when the first 911 call came in.
Virginia Beach 5/31 families gathered at the King Neptune statue at the Oceanfront for the moment of silence.
Then at 8 p.m., the city held a candlelight vigil in front of City Hall.
Jason Nixon, who lost his wife in the shooting, has said losing a loved one has caused dramatic changes for families.
"They're still sitting with a hole in their heart. They're sitting there with the PTSD. They're still sitting there with counseling needs," Nixon previously said. "They may need to have treatment down the road. These things just don't go away, these are lifetime changes in somebody."
This year, several of the victim’s families have begun publicly calling out frustrations over what they say is a lack of emotional or financial support from the city following that day.
Represented by former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, eight of the twelve victim’s families have come together to form “Virginia Beach 5/31 Families United,” requesting $40 million to help support the financial and psychological needs of both the families and the workers of the Municipal Center present that day.
Earlier this year, several of the families traveled to the state capital in Richmond to request support from state lawmakers, to hopefully get that request passed through as a budget amendment for the 2023 General Assembly session.
Fairfax said they are still pursuing this effort moving forward, and while commending the creation of a Virginia Mass Violence Care Fund proposed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, said it’s “necessary but not sufficient” in getting the families the immediate support they’re seeking.
“For me personally, seeing Building 2 is really troubling -- for a lot of folks here. So, I wanted to get away from that, separate ourselves from the pain from the past and move forward,” Sarah Leonard said, daughter of Mary Louise Gayle.
“Hasn’t gotten any easier, by any stretch. Sometimes the trauma lobs cannon fire into my life and devastates me out of nowhere. It doesn’t get any easier to deal with, it’s not like losing someone in a natural way,” she said.
The VB Strong Center is also extending its hours. You can visit from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. if you need support.