VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – We are forever #VBStrong.
Three years ago, on May 31, 2019, a gunman entered Building 2 of the Virginia Beach Municipal Center and opened fire, killing 12 people and injuring four others. Of the 12 victims, 11 of them worked for the city.
News 3 remembers the men and women we lost on that tragic day:
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.
At 4:06 p.m., the time when the first 911 call was received in 2019, people in the city and across Hampton Roads paused for a moment of silence.
This year, the city will hold an in-person ceremony for the first time since the pandemic, allowing the community to gather and remember the lives lost on that tragic day. The Three-Year Remembrance Ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31 at Mount Trashmore Park.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has also ordered that flags be lowered at sunrise on Tuesday and remain at half-staff until sunset.
Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), released the following statement on the third anniversary:
Hampton Roads changed forever on May 31, 2019. That morning, 12 innocent people went to work to make Virginia Beach a better place, but they never returned home to their loved ones because of a senseless and selfish act of violence. They were mothers and fathers, friends and neighbors, veterans and public servants.
On the third anniversary of the Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooting, we remember those we lost, the survivors, the heroes, and the families who live every day with immense pain. The terror and tragedy of that dark day shook our community to its core, and even though time continues to pass on, the loss remains with us every single day. May we all take time today to reflect and keep the memories alive of the 12 Coastal Virginians who we lost.
Unfortunately, as we mourn for our 12 neighbors today and continue to heal, we also grieve for the people of Uvalde, Texas, Buffalo, New York, and Laguna Woods, California who have recently experienced similar horrific tragedies and loss of life.
Communities across the country continue to suffer from the epidemic of gun violence, and enough is enough. Now is the time to come together and act on commonsense reforms and solutions that protect Americans. Now is the time to act in a bipartisan way to keep our children, churches, and communities safe from gun violence and mass shootings.
Click here for full coverage on the Virginia Beach mass shooting.
