Virginia Beach mass shooting

Police held a news conference Saturday morning to give updates on the investigation and to identify the victims.

"Today we all grieve," Dave Hansen, the city manager for Virginia Beach, said.

• The victims: 11 of the 12 victims were employees of the city. They were: Laquita Brown, Tara Gallagher, Mary Louise Gayle, Alexander Mikhail Gusev, Katherine A. Nixon, Richard H. Nettleton, Christopher Kelly Rapp, Ryan Keith Cox, Joshua A Hardy, Michelle "Missy" Langer and Robert "Bobby" Williams. The 12th victim, Herbert "Bert" Snelling, was a contractor.
• The shooter: Police identified the gunman as DeWayne Craddock, who had been employed with the city of Virginia Beach for the past 15 years as an engineer. He died after a gunfight with police.
• The motive: Authorities said it's too early to determine a motive: "Right now, we have a lot of questions. The whys, they will come later. Right now, we have more questions than we have answers," Virginia Beach police Chief James Cervera said.

James Cervera, the Virginia Beach Chief of Police, said officers in the department had a training on how to handle "large-scale events," such as mass shootings, just weeks before last night's deadly attack.

"As recent as March 30, we had a large-scale training event, which incorporated not only police, but our colleagues in fire and EMS and sheriff's department to be able to respond to a large-scale event, such as this," he said.

He said that while training is important to establish protocols "everything changes" during real events.

"While we train extensively, while we go over all of our protocols extensively, once you enter an environment such as this, everything changes. Things change in a moment's notice, such as the gun battle with the suspect. So we did train as recent as March 30, but officers had to make instantaneous decisions at that moment in time on how to engage the suspect.

Virginia Beach police named DeWayne Craddock as the suspected shooter in yesterday deadly shooting at a Virginia Beach City building.

• Craddock had been employed with the city of Virginia Beach for the past 15 years as an engineer, Police Chief James Cervera said
• He was still employed at the time to the shooting and did have a security pass, City Manager Dave Hansen said.
• Additional weapons were recovered at the scene and at Craddock’s home, according to Cervera.

Dave Hansen, the Virginia Beach City Manager, just listed the names of the 12 people who were killed in yesterday's shooting. All but one were employees of the city, he said.

• Laquita C. Brown, a right-of-way agent
• Tara Welch Gallagher, an engineer
• Mary Louise Gayle, a right-of-way agent
• Alexander Mikhail Gusev, a right-of-way agent
• Katherine A. Nixon, an engineer
• Richard H. Nettleton, an engineer
• Christopher Kelly Rapp, an engineer
• Ryan Keith Cox, an account clerk
• Joshua A. Hardy, an engineering technician
• Michelle "Missy" Langer, an administrative assistant
• Robert "Bobby" Williams, a special projects coordinator
• Herbert "Bert" Snelling, a contractor

Dave Hansen, the Virginia Beach City Manager, said 11 of the 12 people who were killed in yesterday's shooting were employees of the city.

 "I have worked with most of them for many years," he said. "Today we all grieve," he said.

At least 12 people died in the shooting. The suspect has been identified as DeWayne Craddock, according to a law enforcement official and a Virginia government source. The shooter, described as a disgruntled employee, died after a gunfight with police.

• The scene: The shooting unfolded at the Virginia Beach municipal center where many of the city’s public administrative employees work.
• The gunman: Authorities identified the shooter as DeWayne Craddock, according to a law enforcement official and a Virginia government source. Craddock, 40, worked as a certified professional engineer for the city of Virginia Beach in the Public Utilities Department. He died in a gun battle with police, Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said.
• The weapons: Authorities recovered two guns at the scene believed to be used in the shooting, a rifle and a .45 caliber handgun with extended magazines and a suppressor, the chief said.
• What city officials said: Mayor Bobby Dyer said "today is Virginia Beach's darkest day." Virginia Beach Vice Mayor James Wood said the shooting is "without a doubt the most horrific thing that our city has experienced."

Cassetty Howerin, 23, who lives below the shooter, told CNN affiliate WAVY she could hear him awake at all hours of the night.

"He seemed like a nice guy, he introduced himself when we first moved in…it’s just crazy,” she said.

The Virginia Beach Police Department had planned to hold an active shooter training on Saturday, City Councilman Michael Berlucchi confirmed to CNN's Don Lemon.

Berlucchi said today's shooting is "the worst nightmare for our city." 

"I know that our public safety professionals train for events like this," he said. "Many people in the community, including myself, have watched the news unfold at communities and cities all around country and around the world and to tell you the truth, it's in human nature and natural to wonder when or if an event like this could occur in our city. I'm so sad and distressed by the fact that it has unfolded in Virginia Beach today."