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| 11 Killed in Shooting at Virginia Beach Municipal Center, Officials Say | 11 Killed in Shooting at Virginia Beach Municipal Center, Officials Say |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A Virginia Beach city worker walked into a municipal building on Friday afternoon and fired on co-workers indiscriminately, killing at least 11 people and injuring six others, the authorities said. | A Virginia Beach city worker walked into a municipal building on Friday afternoon and fired on co-workers indiscriminately, killing at least 11 people and injuring six others, the authorities said. |
| Chief James A. Cervera of the Virginia Beach Police Department said the gunman, who was a current, longtime public utilities employee, was dead after officers opened fire. | |
| The chief said the gunman fired on his victims immediately in what amounted to a “huge scene.” He declined to discuss a possible motive for the shooting. | |
| “This is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach,” Mayor Robert M. Dyer said at an evening news conference. | “This is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach,” Mayor Robert M. Dyer said at an evening news conference. |
| “The people involved are our friends, co-workers, neighbors, colleagues,” he continued before his voice trailed off and he bowed his head. | |
| The identities of the gunman and the victims were not released. | The identities of the gunman and the victims were not released. |
| One of those injured was a police officer, who was saved by his bulletproof vest, Chief Cervera said. | One of those injured was a police officer, who was saved by his bulletproof vest, Chief Cervera said. |
| He called the shooting a “devastating incident that happened that none of us want to be here talking about,” adding that it was “going to change the lives of a number of families in our city.” | |
| The shooting began shortly after 4 p.m. at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, a campus of city offices and agencies, including the Police Department. The shooting unfolded on multiple floors in Building No. 2, which includes offices for planning and public works, among others, and is adjacent to City Hall. | The shooting began shortly after 4 p.m. at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, a campus of city offices and agencies, including the Police Department. The shooting unfolded on multiple floors in Building No. 2, which includes offices for planning and public works, among others, and is adjacent to City Hall. |
| Dale T. Gauding, a spokesman for Sentara Healthcare, said five patients were taken to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital. | Dale T. Gauding, a spokesman for Sentara Healthcare, said five patients were taken to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital. |
| One patient at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital was being picked up by helicopter and transferred to a trauma center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, he said. Details on their conditions were not immediately available. | One patient at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital was being picked up by helicopter and transferred to a trauma center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, he said. Details on their conditions were not immediately available. |
| “This day will not define Virginia Beach,” a City Council member, Aaron Rouse, said at the news conference. “We will show the strength of our city.” | |
| Another Council member, Barbara Henley, told The Virginian-Pilot that she was pulling up to City Hall, when she heard police sirens and saw police cars. | Another Council member, Barbara Henley, told The Virginian-Pilot that she was pulling up to City Hall, when she heard police sirens and saw police cars. |
| “I thought it was an accident,” Ms. Henley said. | “I thought it was an accident,” Ms. Henley said. |
| She said she learned there had been a shooting and heard a male voice shout, “Get down!” | She said she learned there had been a shooting and heard a male voice shout, “Get down!” |
| People scattered. | People scattered. |
| “I was scared to death,” she said. | “I was scared to death,” she said. |
| “This is a tragic day for Virginia Beach and our entire Commonwealth,’’ Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia said on Twitter. “My heart breaks for the victims of this devastating shooting, their families, and all who loved them. I am on my way to Virginia Beach now and will be there within the hour.” | |
| The shooting in Virginia Beach, whose population is about 450,000, comes on the heels of two mass shootings at educational institutions in recent weeks. | |
| On April 30 — the last day of classes — two students were killed at the University of North Carolina Charlotte and four others injured after a gunman opened fire in a classroom. | |
| On May 7, at the STEM School Highlands Ranch in Colorado, one student was killed and eight others wounded. | |
| In both cases, a student sacrificed his life to prevent more bloodshed by barreling toward the gunman. | |
| Workplaces have also regularly been the scene of tragedy. In February, an angry worker stormed through a suburban Chicago factory and shot several co-workers, leaving five dead and six other people wounded. |