VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Two members of the state commission investigating the 2019 mass shooting in Virginia Beach are asking residents with any insight about the killer or shooting to speak with them.
David Cariens and Rebecca Cowan are offering private appointments at Anchor Counseling and Wellness in Virginia Beach on Wednesday and Friday, The Virginian-Pilot reported. On Thursday, Cariens and Cowan will review city documents, including the shooter’s personnel files.
DeWayne Craddock fatally shot 12 people and wounded four others on May 31, 2019, at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center before he was killed by police.
Cariens believes even the smallest detail can help identify patterns and prevent the next tragedy.
“It is important to find all the character traits of mass killers,” said Cariens,
Jason Nixon, whose wife Kate was killed in the shooting, hopes many residents will sign up and said he just wants people to come forward and tell the truth. Some might want to put the tragedy behind them, he said.
“My girls went to school one day and never saw their mom again; I went to work one day and never saw my wife again,” Nixon said. “We don’t get to just forget about this. This is our family.”
