The massacre is the deadliest in the US this year and adds the Virginia coastal city to a grim list of places affected by a mass shooting. Witnesses said they couldn't believe this level of violence reached their community, and workplace
A slide of the victims in the mass shooting at a Virginia Beach is shown during a press conference. Pic/AFP
Washington: A disgruntled employee went on a shooting rampage in a municipal centre building in the US state of Virginia, killing 12 people and injuring several others before dying in a gunbattle with the police.
The shooter was identified as DeWayne Craddock who worked as a certified professional engineer for the city of Virginia Beach in the Public Utilities Department. He fired indiscriminately through all three floors of Building 2 of the city's municipal centre on Friday, said Virginia Beach Police chief James A Cervera.
ADVERTISEMENT
The shooting occurred when people were still visiting the municipal centre to conduct business. Cervera said the 40-year-old shooter was confronted shortly after opening fire on multiple floors. There was an exchange of gunfire with officers after which he was shot dead.
The massacre is the deadliest in the US this year and adds the Virginia coastal city to a grim list of places affected by a mass shooting. Witnesses said they couldn't believe this level of violence reached their community, and workplace.
The loud bursts of gunfire sent workers scrambling and barricading their office doors. Zand Bakhtiari, 28, who works on the first floor of the city building where the shooting happened, looked out of his window about 4 pm and saw people screaming and running.
"I thought they were running to the scene of a bad car accident," he said, adding that at that time he had not heard any gunfire. But later he got to know that there was an active shooter in the building.
Police chief Cervera said bodies were found on all three floors of the building and that one of the deceased was discovered outside in a car.
Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
