On Friday, at a municipal center in Virginia Beach, a long-time public utility employee opened fire on co-workers, killing 11 people and wounding at least six others, according to police.
Virginia Beach Police Chief Jim Cervera said that the shooter, who he described as a disgruntled employee was killed in a gunfire exchange with officers rushing into the building.
Cervera said shortly after 4 p.m. the gunman walked into the Virginia Beach Municipal Center and “immediately began to indiscriminately fire upon all the victims.” His name has not been released yet.
Police said they don’t have any information about the injured victims’ condition. One of the wounded persons was a police officer from Virginia Beach who was saved by his jacket.
Sentara’s Dale Gauding confirmed that five patients were taken to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital and one patient was flown from Sentara Princess Anne Hospital to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital’s Level I Trauma Center.
The shooting at Virginia Beach, with a population of approximately 450,000, has been taking place in recent weeks on the heels of two mass shootings at educational institutions.
Workplaces have also been the scene of tragedy for some time now. An angry worker stormed through a suburban factory in Chicago in February and shot several co-workers, killing five people and wounding six others.
The incident occurred at Building 2 in Courthouse Drive’s 2400 block. It has been reported that the building houses operations, public utilities and public works for the city. It is located in the Municipal Center of Virginia Beach.
