Suspect in US shooting that killed 12 people was disgruntled engineer
Dewwayne Craddock opened fire on colleagues at the Virginia Beach city government headquarters before being killed by police.
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Police stand guard at the scene of a shooting in Virginia Beach on May 31. Photo:AFP |
James Cervera, police chief of Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA, said today that the suspect in the May 31 shooting that left 12 people dead was identified as Dewayne Craddock, an engineer who had worked at the city's public service agency for the past 15 years and had a disgruntled mindset.
The suspect, armed with a handgun and a silencer, entered Building 2 of the Virginia Beach City Government Complex on the afternoon of May 31. This is the workplace of more than 400 employees of the Department of Information Technology, Construction, Planning and Utilities, right next to City Hall.
He opened fire indiscriminately on his co-workers as he moved through the floors of the building, then exchanged gunfire with police before being shot dead. Craddock was 40 years old and had no serious criminal record, according to local media.
Survivors described scenes of chaos and panic as gunfire rang out as employees scrambled to escape and hide. Some said they had stacked desks to block office doors to prevent the suspect from entering. Twelve people were killed and four were injured, including a police officer.
This is the deadliest shooting in the US since the shooting at a bar in Los Angeles in November 2018 that left dozens dead.
