RICHMOND (WAVY) — A sweeping report from the Commission on the May 31, 2019 Virginia Beach mass shooting makes numerous recommendations.
Twelve people were killed on May 31, 2019 in the Virginia Beach Municipal Center. A city employee went on a shooting spree inside Municipal Building Two and was shot dead by responding police officers.
The commission began meeting on June 9, 2021 and has continued to meet since then.
The final report was submitted to Governor Glenn Youngkin and members of the Virginia General Assembly on Sept. 28, 2023 in a letter sent by the Office of the State Inspector General.
The report states the commission identified recommendations as a result of their work. Those recommendations include better training and background checks, ongoing drills and heightened awareness, and therapy and counseling following traumatic events among other suggestions:
- Training new managers on recognizing the red flags when employees are troubled or need help
- Active shooter drills, mandatory for all employees, to include maps of building exits
- Ensuring adequate funding for training local police and first responders to respond to a mass shooting
- Additional technology for weapon detecting and cell-phone alert systems to notify employees of any potential danger.
- Better control over building access
- Emotional counseling and training for first responders for mass casualty events and their aftermath
- Sustained counseling for survivors and victims to continue long after the traumatic event
- A Virginia mass-violence care fund for survivors with permanent injuries.
Read the full report submitted by Commission Chair Ryant Washington.
A memorial to honor the lives lost and impacted by the mass shooting is still in the works. A couple weeks ago, local design firm Dills Architects showed the 5/31 Memorial Committee where the project stands. Dills Architects expects construction to cost around $5.8 million.