11 dead after employee opens fire at US municipal centre
Updated
A disgruntled US public utilities employee “indiscriminately” opened fire at a local government building in Virginia Beach on Friday afternoon, killing 11 people and wounding at least six others before he was killed himself, the city’s police chief has said.
Key points:
- The shooting took place at a government complex near Virginia Beach City Hall
- It is unclear whether the shooter was killed by shots from police
- Police said the shooter was a long-term employee of the city but did not identify the man
Virginia Beach Chief of Police James Cervera said the precise circumstances of the “devastating” shooting in the coastal resort city remained under investigation.
He gave few details of what was known but said a police officer was among those who were struck by gunfire but survived. He said the officer’s bulletproof vest saved his life.
FBI agents and Homeland Security Department forensic technicians are assisting local police due to the “size and scope and intensity” of the crime scene.
Mr Cervera said the suspect was a long-time public utilities employee, describing him as “disgruntled”, but he declined to say more about what may have precipitated the attack.
The shooting unfolded, according to Mr Cervera, shortly after 4:00pm at building two of the municipal centre complex, a facility which houses the city’s public works and utilities next door to city hall.
“He immediately began to indiscriminately fire upon all the victims,” he said.
“Officers entered once the call went out. The officers were at headquarters.
“They responded to building two, they secured as many of the victims as they could and then they engaged with the suspect.
“The suspect did shoot a police officer.
“Officers returned fire; [the] suspect is deceased.”
It was not made immediately clear whether the gunman took his own life or was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police.
“Right now we have more questions really than we have answers,” Mr Cervera said.
Virginia Beach, which sits on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, is Virginia’s most populous city, with roughly 450,000 year-round residents.
Megan Banton, an administrative assistant at the Virginia Beach Public Works department, described the moments during the shooting.
“My boss was like, ‘This is not a drill, get down’,” she said.
“I called 911 and we all just ran in her office and closed the door. We heard gunshots.
“We kept hearing gunshots and we kept hearing the cops saying get out — it was very muffled.”
Sentara Healthcare tweeted that five patients were being treated at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital and a sixth was being transferred to the Trauma Centre at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
“This is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach,” Mayor Bobby Dyer said at a news conference with the police chief.
“The people involved are our friends, co-workers, neighbours, colleagues.”
AP
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