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 12 victims were employees of the city of Virginia Beach with over 150 years of service to the city collectively, and one was a contractor who had come to the Municipal Center for business; Whereas Laquita C. Brown, a four-year employee in the city of Virginia Beach Public Works Department known for her love of travel with friends and ability to light up a room with her presence, was murdered in the shooting; Whereas Ryan Keith Cox, a 12-year employee in the city of Virginia Beach Public Utilities Department 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 six-year employee in the city of Virginia Beach Public Works Department 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 in the city of Virginia Beach Public Works Department who was known as a cheerful coworker and devoted mother and grandmother, was murdered in the shooting; Whereas Alexander Mikhail Gusev, a nine-year employee in the city of Virginia Beach Public Works Department who emigrated to Virginia Beach from Belarus 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 four-year employee in the city of Virginia Beach Public Utilities Department known for his kindhearted nature and love for his family and faith, was murdered in the shooting; Whereas Michelle Missy Whereas Richard H. Nettleton, a 28-year employee in the city of Virginia Beach Public Utilities Department who was a selfless leader in regional utility system planning and was a veteran of the Army’s 130th Engineer Brigade, was murdered in the shooting; Whereas Katherine A. Nixon, a 10-year employee in the city of Virginia Beach Public Utilities Department 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 in the city of Virginia Beach Public Works Department, 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 Whereas Robert Bobby 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 thanks only to his bulletproof vest; Whereas those who were present at or responded to the scene of the shooting encountered a war zone 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 That the House of Representatives— (1) joins the Commonwealth of Virginia in mourning the deaths and celebrating the lives of the 12 victims killed in the Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooting on May 31, 2019; (2) applauds the heroism, dedication, and compassion of the police officers, first responders, and emergency medical personnel who responded to the shooting and tended to the wounded, in some cases risking their own lives while saving others; (3) recognizes the strength of the Virginia Beach community in coming together to show that this tragedy will not define them; and (4) reaffirms its responsibility to find ways to prevent more Americans from dying in acts of violence.

Summary: This resolution mourns the deaths and celebrates the lives of the 12 victims who were killed in the shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center on May 31, 2019.