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Virginia Beach shooting: 12 killed after city worker opens fire at colleagues

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At least 12 people were killed and several injured on Friday in a mass shooting at a government building in the US state of Virginia.

The suspect, described by officials as a disgruntled city employee in Virginia Beach, fired indiscriminately in a municipal building.

The gunman was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. His identity has not been released.

Officials said an officer was wounded when a bullet struck his vest.

How did the shooting unfold?

The attack began shortly after 16:00 (20:00 GMT), at Virginia Beach Municipal Center, in an area which is home to a number of city government buildings. The area was put into lockdown by police and employees were evacuated.

“We just heard people yelling and screaming at people to get down,” Megan Banton, an administrative assistant in the building, told local television news station WAVY.

One of the victims was shot outside in a car, and the rest were found over three floors of the government building.

Four officers entered the building and located the gunman inside and “immediately engaged” him, police chief James Cervera said. The attacker was then shot dead.

The police chief described the scene as a “war zone”.

“I want you to know that during this gun battle, basically the officers stopped this individual from committing more carnage in that building,” Mr Cervera said.

Police recovered a rifle and a handgun, thought to have been used by the suspect, at the scene.

Author

Milton Nyakundi

Milton Nyakundi is a veteran multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience across broadcast, digital, and print media, who relocated to the United States in 2022 and is now the Senior International Correspondent for Kurunzi News based in Washington, DC, USA. He has previously worked with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), among other high-profile roles with Kenya's first privately-owned media outlet - Kenya Television Network. His experience also include prominent roles as Media Consultant for Football Kenya Federation (FKF), and StarTimes Kenya. His career spans high‑stakes political reporting covering legislative and constitutional issues, elections, governance, and accountability across Kenya, Africa, and global arenas. He also boasts extensive sports journalism experience, covering local and international sports events, including leagues, tournaments and sports governance. He is well-known for his investigative depth, editorial leadership, and evidence-driven journalism that guides his consistent delivery of public‑interest storytelling across platforms.

View all posts by Milton Nyakundi

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