VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – The Virginia Beach Police Department hosted a dedication ceremony for its new headquarters on Tuesday, finally marking a new beginning to a place shrouded by tragedy.
On May 31, 2019, 12 people were killed and several more were seriously injured inside Building 2 at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, after a city engineer went on a shooting rampage in what was then known as the “operations” building.
Originally built in 1979, on the day of the shooting it was home to the departments of Planning, Public Works and Public Utilities and Information Technology.
Only IT remained after the shooting, as they were in the basement where no part of the shooting occurred.
City Council said not long after the shooting that no one who worked in the building at the time of the tragedy would be required to return.
Since 2020, a $30 million renovation has been underway to renovate the site into the new police headquarters.
Everything inside the building, aside from the elevator shafts, was completely redesigned, and 450,000 pounds of concrete were removed to reconstruct the space, which now features an atrium and an interior bathed in natural light.
“I think that really made a big difference for our team and those that will come to this building, because it is not immediately recognizable,” said Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate.
Neudigate, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer and Virginia Beach City Manager Patrick Duhaney gave remarks during Tuesday’s ceremony, during which Building 2 reopened as Building 11. The number 2 has been retired in honor of the mass shooting victims.
The dedication ceremony was relatively quick with none of the pomp and circumstance that often surrounds these type of events.
It opened and closed in prayer with the chaplain declaring this reopening a victory over darkness. Those who worked in Building 2 will not return here. However, there are police officers who responded to the mass shooting who will come back to work here.
“We know what happened here. We can never forget that. But we also have to realize that it is time to turn the page and move on,” Neudigate said.
Neudigate said he has reached out to the entire staff and reached out personally to some officers.
Many victims, families and survivors wanted to see this building torn down.
Mayor Bobby Dyer said rebuilding sends a message, Virginia Beach is strong. “To show that we can rebuild and that we can go forward, but we will always remember and keep in our hearts all of the victims in perpetuity.”
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