VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A local congresswoman will introduce a bill that would name a Virginia Beach post office in honor of Ryan Keith Cox.
Cox, 50, was one of 12 people killed during a mass shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center last month. He was an account clerk for the city’s Public Utilities Department and worked for Virginia Beach for 12 years.
His coworker, Christi Dewar, told 10 On Your Side that Cox was a hero who saved many lives by helping his colleagues find a safe place to hide as a gunman terrorized those working in the city’s public works building.
The bill will be introduced on Tuesday by Virginia Beach Congresswoman Elaine Luria, and is cosponsored by all of Virginia’s U.S. House of Delegates. If passed, it will rename the post office located at 2509 George Mason Drive to the “Ryan Keith Cox Post Office Building.”
Renaming the post office will provide a “physical reminder” of Cox’s “immeasurable impact” on the community of Virginia Beach, Luria wrote in a news release.
“Every day we will remember his heroic actions and his sacrifice on May 31,” Luria wrote.
The bill was inspired by Virginia Beach Postmaster Joseph A. Croce Jr., who sought Luria’s help to honor Cox’s memory in the weeks following the devastating mass shooting.
“His friends and colleagues describe Cox as a selfless man who put the needs of others before his own,” a news release from Luria’s office states. “This was exemplified when he laid down his life to guide his fellow coworkers to safety on May 31 in Building 2 of the Virginia Beach Municipal Center.”