III 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 248 

Honoring the victims of the mass shooting in Virginia Beach, Virginia. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 12, 2019 

Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. WARNER) submitted the following resolution; 

which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the victims of the mass shooting in Virginia Beach, 

Virginia. 

Whereas, on Friday, May 31, 2019, 12 people were killed in 

a mass shooting at the Municipal Center in Virginia 

Beach, Virginia; 

Whereas 11 of the 12 victims were employees of the city of 

Virginia Beach with more than 150 years of combined 

service to the city, and the remaining victim was a contractor who had come to the Municipal Center for business; 

Whereas Laquita C. Brown, a 4-year employee of the city of 

Virginia Beach Department of Public Works who was 

known for her love of travel with friends and her ability 

to light up a room with her presence, was murdered in 

the shooting; 


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•SRES 248 ATS 

Whereas Ryan Keith Cox, a 12-year employee of the city of 

Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities who was 

known for his kindness and beautiful singing voice, and 

who ran into danger looking for more people to save after 

ensuring his coworkers were sheltered in a barricaded 

room, was murdered in the shooting; 

Whereas Tara Welch Gallagher, a 6-year employee of the city 

of Virginia Beach Department of Public Works who 

worked as an engineer to provide clean drinking water for 

her community, was murdered in the shooting; 

Whereas Mary Louise Gayle, a 24-year employee of the city 

of Virginia Beach Department of Public Works who was 

known as a cheerful coworker and devoted mother and 

grandmother, was murdered in the shooting; 

Whereas Alexander Mikhail Gusev, a 9-year employee of the 

city of Virginia Beach Department of Public Works who 

emigrated from Belarus to Virginia Beach to find a better life and who was known as a generous and devoted 

coworker, friend, brother, and uncle, was murdered in the 

shooting; 

Whereas Joshua O. Hardy, a 4-year employee of the city of 

Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities who was 

known for his kindhearted nature and love for his family 

and faith, was murdered in the shooting; 

Whereas Michelle ‘‘Missy’’ Langer, a 12-year employee of the 

city of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities who 

was known for her beaming smile and passion for the 

Pittsburgh Steelers, and who had plans to retire soon, 

was murdered in the shooting; 

Whereas Richard H. Nettleton, a 28-year employee of the 

city of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities who 


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•SRES 248 ATS 

was a selfless leader in regional utility system planning 

and a veteran of the 130th Engineer Brigade of the 

Army, was murdered in the shooting; 

Whereas Katherine A. Nixon, a 10-year employee of the city 

of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities who was 

known for her intellect and who was a loving wife and 

mother of 3 children, was murdered in the shooting; 

Whereas Christopher Kelly Rapp, an 11-month employee of 

the city of Virginia Beach Department of Public Works 

who was known for his kindness, his passion for playing 

the bagpipes, and his devotion to his wife, was murdered 

in the shooting; 

Whereas Herbert ‘‘Bert’’ Snelling, a contractor who had 

come to the Municipal Center to get a permit and who 

was celebrating his 38th wedding anniversary, was murdered in the shooting; 

Whereas Robert ‘‘Bobby’’ Williams, a 41-year employee of 

the city of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities, 

who was awarded with 8 service awards in recognition of 

his lifetime of devoted work and who was planning on retiring later in the year to spend more time with his family, was murdered in the shooting; 

Whereas the actions of those city employees who alerted their 

coworkers to danger and pulled them into shelter saved 

an unknowable number of lives; 

Whereas police officers responded within minutes of the first 

reports of shooting, heroically risking their lives by running into the line of fire; 

Whereas 1 police officer was shot while confronting the gunman and survived because he was wearing a bulletproof 

vest; 


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Whereas those who were present at, or responded to, the 

scene of the shooting encountered a ‘‘war zone’’ of horrific violence that will be forever seared into their memories; 

Whereas mental health providers, counselors, and faith leaders have tended to the invisible wounds of the shooting, 

and will continue to do so for decades to come; 

Whereas Virginia Beach Chief of Police James Cervera, 

Mayor Bobby Dyer, and City Manager David Hansen 

have led their community through its darkest hour with 

courage, dignity, professionalism, and compassion; and 

Whereas, within hours of the shooting, the residents of Virginia Beach had come together in an outpouring of support for those affected, showing the resiliency of love in 

the face of evil: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) joins the Commonwealth of Virginia in 

3 mourning the deaths and celebrating the lives of the 

4 12 victims killed in the shooting at the Municipal 

5 Center in Virginia Beach on May 31, 2019; 

6 (2) applauds the heroism, dedication, and com7 passion of the police officers, first responders, and 

8 emergency medical personnel who responded to the 

9 shooting and tended to the wounded, in some cases 

10 risking their own lives while saving others; 

11 (3) recognizes the strength of the Virginia 

12 Beach community in coming together to show that 

13 this tragedy will not define them; and 


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1 (4) reaffirms its responsibility to find ways to 

2 prevent more individuals in the United States from 

3 dying in acts of violence. 

Æ 


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