VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Twelve lives gone far too soon.
Friday marks five years since the mass shooting at the Virginia Beach municipal center. On May 31, 2019, a gunman entered Building 2 at the municipal center, killing 12 people and injuring several more. Police killed the shooter, who was identified as a disgruntled city employee.
Building 2 was home to Public Works and Public Utilities. Those departments now work from different buildings, while Building 2 has undergone full renovation and is now used as the Virginia Beach Police Department's headquarters.
On Friday afternoon, community members gather at the site of the future 5/31 memorial on Princess Anne Road. The names of the 12 victims were read, and the site was dedicated. Many attendees wore blue, the color of remembrance.
13News Now spoke with former city employee and 5/31 Memorial Committee member Tara Reel. She remembers being in Building 2 earlier in the day.
"I went to work ad had a meeting in Building 2," remembered Reel of May 31, 2019. "I had a moment, usually I would go say hello to everyone in public utilities, but I had a meeting I was going to, so I didn’t go [say hello.] Later that night, Reel remembered, "People were looking for me because I had meetings in the building earlier that day. I let everyone know I was ok, but it didn't take long for us to hear there were fatalities."
Reel says she knew a number of the victims and worked closely with them, saying, "I often say that we lost the best of the best. I remember a couple of them being mentors and going out of their way to provide support and encourage people."
Reel says being part of the memorial committee has helped her in the grieving process, but she adds it's hard to believe it's been five years.
"It hits a little different this year because it was at the end of the day on a Friday in the very last hours of the workday. I think that has a bigger impact on all of us because it has the same sense of that kind of timeline," she said in reference to the anniversary falling on a Friday.
13News Now also spoke with Dwight Brown, Jr. He's Laquita Brown's brother, one of the 12 victims. Dwight describes his sister as "as close to perfection as you can get. In my experience she was the best big sister anyone could have had."
Brown says his sister traveled extensively and collected a shot glass whenever she visited a new place. "So she has, well it’s mine now, but this massive collection of shot glasses from different places she went," he said.
He described May 31, 2019 by saying, "It’s a horrible feeling to be able to identify the worst day of your life. I don’t remember a lot of dates, I remember that date."
After not hearing from his sister for hours that afternoon and evening, Brown says he prepared for the worst, but when he learned she had been killed, he explained, "It was probably 10 or 11 at night, and that was probably the most excruciating weight of my life."
The victims had 150 years of combined service with the city. They are:
- Laquita C. Brown of Chesapeake: A right-of-way agent with more than 4 years in public works.
- Tara Welch Gallagher of Virginia Beach: An engineer with 6 years in public works.
- Mary Louise Gayle of Virginia Beach: A right-of-way agent with 24 years in public works.
- Alexander Mikhail Gusev of Virginia Beach: A right-of-way agent with 9 years in public works.
- Katherine A. Nixon of Virginia Beach: An engineer with 10 years in public utilities.
- Richard H. Nettleton of Norfolk: An engineer with 28 years in public utilities.
- Christopher Kelly Rapp of Powhatan: An engineer with 11 months in public works.
- Ryan Keith Cox of Virginia Beach: An account clerk with more than 12 years in public utilities.
- Joshua A. Hardy of Virginia Beach: An engineering technician with more than 4 years in public utilities.
- Michelle "Missy" Langer of Virginia Beach: An administrative assistant with 12 years in public utilities.
- Robert "Bobby" Williams of Chesapeake: Special projects coordinator with 41 years in public utilities.
- Herbert "Bert" Snelling of Virginia Beach: A contractor who was there to fill a permit.
PHOTOS: Remembering the Virginia Beach shooting victims
A remembrance ceremony will be held at the future memorial site on Princess Anne Road, near Building 30. The community is invited and asked to wear blue.
A moment of silence will be held at 4:06 p.m., the time of the first 911 call. People are asked to pause wherever they are at that time.