Share

The Latest: Official says shooter had intended to quit job

Share

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — The Latest on the deadly Virginia Beach shooting Friday (all times local):

3:20 p.m.

A Virginia Beach city employee who survived a deadly shooting at a government building says he was face-to-face with the gunman during the rampage and yelled at him to stop.

Account clerk Terry Inman recalls turning around and seeing DeWayne Craddock standing inside the building with a gun on Friday afternoon. Inman says he shouted at Craddock to stop. Both men worked in the city’s public utilities department.

Craddock turned toward Inman and looked straight at him but didn’t raise the gun or make any other gesture to indicate that he actually saw Inman or anyone else.

Trending:
Prince Harry Named in Major Sex Trafficking Lawsuit Against Rapper

After Craddock left the room, Inman and co-worker Ned Carlstrom heard gunshots again. They think that was when their friend and co-worker, Ryan Keith Cox, was killed. Eleven other people were also killed.

Craddock died in the ensuing shootout with police.

___

12:45 p.m.

The Senate’s top Democrat says a universal background check bill must be brought to the Senate floor for a vote.

Sen. Charles Schumer’s remarks on Sunday came two days after a gunman killed 12 people in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Schumer says the victims were hardworking government employees who were “just snuffed out.”

He says Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should bring the bill that would require background checks on all gun sales in the United States to the Senate floor for a vote. The House passed similar legislation in February.

Officials have said the guns used in the shooting were purchased legally.

Related:
Former MSNBC Host Chuck Todd Furious After Network Hires Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel

Still, Schumer says the background check legislation could help prevent future shootings.

___

12:05 p.m.

Authorities in Virginia say it took 10 minutes – or less – from the time a 911 emergency call was received for police to reach the scene of a mass shooting and track down the gunman.

Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said at a news conference Sunday that emergency communications workers dispatched police and other responders at 4:08 p.m. Friday for a report of shots fired at a city municipal building. The first two officers arrived at the building two minutes later.

Cervera said that between 4:15 p.m. and 4:18 p.m., officers had made “contact” with the gunman and a gunbattle ensued.

Cervera emphasized that locating the gunman was not a straightforward process since the building was constructed in the early 1970s and had since undergone changes to accommodate a growing workforce.

Cervera called the building “a honeycomb” with three floors, numerous entrances and exits, and a basement with a tunnel that connects to another building.

___

12:15 p.m.

Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said DeWayne Craddock, who killed 12 people Friday in a deadly workplace shooting, died at a local hospital after he’d received first aid from police.

Cervera said at a news conference Sunday that Police immediately tried to help Craddock after he was in a shootout with police in which an officer was shot. Cervera said police got Craddock out of the building and into an ambulance. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

“Put yourself in that position, you just took numerous rounds, one of your fellow officers was just injured, was shot, you find the individual and then you immediately switch over to ‘I’m going to try and save his life’ because our police officers truly believe in the sanctity of life,” Cervera said.

The injured officer was saved by a bullet proof vest, police said.

___

11:30 a.m.

The suspected gunman in a Virginia Beach massacre that killed 12 had notified a superior of his intention to resign.

City manager Dave Hansen said at a news conference Sunday that “the perpetrator’s performance was satisfactory” and that he was an employee “in good standing” at the Virginia Beach city department where he worked. Hansen said the employee wasn’t forced to resign.

Hansen said in response to a reporter’s question that the shooter had notified his chain of command of his intention to quit his job via email on Friday, hours before the shooting.

Authorities have identified 40-year-old DeWayne Craddock as the shooter at the municipal building on Friday afternoon. He worked in the city’s utilities department as an engineer.

He was killed following a gun battle with police.

Police Chief James Cervera said he had “no information” to lead to the conclusion that the suspect had targeted anyone specifically.

___

The 12 people killed in Friday’s mass shooting included 11 city employees who had served Virginia Beach for more than 150 years in total.

City officials honored the victims in a somber slideshow shared Saturday, the same day Police Chief James Cervera identified the assailant as DeWayne Craddock, an engineer with the city’s utilities department. He was killed in a gun battle with police officers.

Another media briefing regarding the shooting at the municipal center is scheduled for Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Virginia Beach officials have said they will only utter Craddock’s name once, employing an increasingly common public information strategy aimed at limiting mass shooters’ platforms and preventing copycat shootings.

Four other people were injured in the shooting, including three who remain hospitalized in critical condition.

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation