Public Works Community Mourns Virginia Beach Shooting Victims

The Public Works community mourned the loss of its colleagues in the May 31 shooting in Virginia Beach, Va. A 40-year-old city engineer, DeWayne Craddock, fired indiscriminately on a municipal building, killing 12 before being shot by police. Craddock had resigned that morning, and a motive has not been determined, CNN reported.

The American Public Works Association (APWA) issued the following statement: “On behalf of APWA we wish to express our deepest condolences to the families, friends, and communities of the victims in the recent Virginia Beach shootings. While these senseless shootings are always an atrocity, this one touched our APWA family and community. Know that we will band together as a community to recognize these fallen heroes.”

The Mid-Atlantic chapter of the APWA tweeted: “We stand with Virginia Beach. Last week tragedy struck Public Works and Public Utilities in Virginia Beach. We must remember those we lost and keep those affected in our thoughts and prayers.”

Eleven of the 12 victims worked in Public Works and Public Utilities, and one was a contractor who was in the building. The victims are:

Laquita Brown, Mary Louise Gayle, and Alexander Mikhail Gusev, Public Works right-of-way agents; Tara Welch Gallagher and Christopher Kelly Rapp, Public Works engineers; Katherine Nixon and Richard Nettleton, Public Utilities engineers; Ryan Keith Cox, Public Utilities account clerk; Joshua Hardy, Public Utilities engineering technician; Missy Langer, Public Utilities administrative assistant; Bobby Williams, Public Utilities special projects coordinator; and Bert Snelling, contractor.

Fleet management is a division of Public Works. It appears none of the named victims worked for fleet management.

City offices at the municipal center complex are closed on June 3. Offices at the complex will open tomorrow except for building 2, which will remain closed until further notice.