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Virginia Beach — Almost two years after a gunman attacked at a Virginia Beach city government building, police still have not discovered the shooter’s motive for killing 12 people, according to the final police investigative report released Wednesday.
But for the first time, police confirmed where each victim died, and provided a more detailed timeline of the shooter’s movements throughout the building. The new report confirms a December 2019 Virginian-Pilot timeline that explains how the mass shooting unfolded.
The report was released just days after 10 people were gunned down in a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, and more than a week after eight people were killed in Atlanta.
The 47-page document builds on previous reports and briefings from police and an independent review of the mass shooting done by security risk management firm Hillard Heintze.
Before releasing the report to the public, the city delivered copies to the families of the victims. Jason Nixon, the husband of Kate Nixon, a city engineer who died in the tragedy, provided The Virginian-Pilot a copy of the report’s cover letter, written by the City Manager Patrick Duhaney.
“Investigators deliberately and methodically processed evidence, conducted interviews, ran tests, and test theories,” Duhaney wrote. “While this report details the events of that day, unfortunately, no evidence was found that shed light on the shooter’s motivations. We know this is one of the most difficult findings to accept and we know you may still have questions.”
On May 31, 2019, Dewayne Craddock, a city engineer, shot and killed 12 people at the Municipal Center and severely injured four city employees. The gunman died after engaging in a shootout with police in which one officer was struck in his bulletproof vest.
Earlier that day, the shooter submitted his letter of resignation around 10:30 a.m. and went about his normal job duties. At 3:55 p.m., the shooter sent one final routine work-related email and left the building, the city reported.
A city employee who knew the shooter told police they saw him heading to his vehicle at 4 p.m.
“The departing employee observed the suspect standing in the open passenger door of his own car and waved at the suspect as he drove off,” the report said. “It was later learned the suspect was retrieving a .45 caliber handgun with a suppressor and a backpack that contained a second gun and additional ammunition.”
While the report rehashes information already revealed, it offers additional details that had not yet been made public.
During the rampage, Craddock pointed a firearm at a co-worker with whom he had an emotional conversation earlier in the day, but he “did not shoot or talk to them as he walked past,” the report said.
Outside Nixon’s office, he dropped his backpack, which had contained ammo and a second gun, after an encounter with Joshua Hardy, an engineering technician whom he killed.
After the suspect had already been shot, unbeknownst to the officers, he circled behind them by maneuvering through an interior hallway, sparking an “intense firefight.”
Duhaney, who joined the city last July, and Police Chief Paul Neudigate, who started in October, reviewed the entire police investigation from a fresh perspective.
“When I came to Virginia Beach as city manager last year, I was keenly aware that the final investigative summary report was pending,” Duhaney wrote to city staff in an email Monday. “Because I also knew I was hiring a new chief of police, I saw an opportunity for the two of us to review everything through an outsider’s lens.”
Family members of the victims also have been invited to meet with Neudigate and other police officers to review the investigative file. Neudigate said he is open to releasing materials from the file to the public in the future.
“We will continually evaluate what can be released and how it should be released,” he said.
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Nixon said he said he was disappointed a motive was not found.
“The City of Virginia Beach and the Police Department should be ashamed of themselves,” Nixon said. “There are motives and they know it.”
Without evidence such as a note left behind, Neudigate said it’s difficult for police to determine what was going through an individual’s mind.
“If we were able to determine with reasonable certainty why we believe he committed these crimes, we would absolutely release it,” Neudigate said.
The VB Strong Center will be available to provide support and resources to family members, survivors of the attack and staff as they process the report. The office can be reached at 757-507-7200.
The full report can be viewed on the city’s website.
Alissa Skelton, 757-995-9043, alissa.skelton@pilotonline.com.