WARNING: This video may be triggering to some, as it contains some cursing and discussions of the casualties.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Virginia Beach Police have released body camera footage of the tragic mass shooting that took place three years ago in Building 2 of the Virginia Beach Municipal Center.
On May 31, 2019, a gunman entered Building 2 and opened fire, killing 12 people and injuring four others. Of the 12 victims, 11 of them worked for the city.
Police released the body camera footage to News 3 Tuesday.
The video captures police responding to the tragedy.
You can hear radio traffic of officers entering the building and making their way to the shooter, who barricaded himself in a room.
At the start of the video, an officer can be seen quickly putting on a bulletproof vest. The rest of the video contains primarily audio.
"What was the last known location of the shooter? Where is he isolated?"
"He's isolated between the second and third floor."
Some of the video's audio is hard to hear, and the visuals in the building are blocked by the officer's ballistic vest; however, the video does capture the fear of what it was like being in that building.
"We have a male victim with a gunshot wound to the face. Still alive."
The final investigation report into the shooting was released in March 2021; no motive was found.
In 2020, the City of Virginia Beach created a special website for remembering the victims of the shooting. The city also adopted the forget-me-not flower to create a memorial at Mount Trashmore.
The city’s Park & Landscape Services team created the special symbol to honor the victims of the shooting, their families and the entire Hampton Roads community.
In 2021,a sand sculpture point of reflection, inspired by the "Love for VB" forget-me-not flower, was installed on 24th Street at the Oceanfront.
This year, the city held an in-person ceremony at Mount Trashmore Park for the first time since the pandemic, which allowed the community to gather and remember the lives lost on that tragic day.
Click here for full coverage on the Virginia Beach mass shooting.
