As Virginia Beach seeks input for 2019 tragedy’s anniversary, some families frustrated with city’s response
On May 31, Virginia Beach will once again honor the victims of the 2019 mass shooting at the municipal center where a disgruntled city employee shot 12 people to death before he was fatally shot by police.
The city is reaching out to the victims’ family members this month to get feedback on the remembrance activities that will honor the lives lost. City staff had conversations with families previously, and a survey conducted last year revealed that they want more outreach, city spokesperson Tiffany Russell said.
“We want to be open to new ideas each year,” Russell said. “The tragedy impacted the whole community, so each year how we remember those we lost, we want to make sure we’re offering something that meets people where they are.”
The families have also been invited to participate in a picnic with the city covering travel and lodging expenses for the gathering.
For some of the families, though, the olive branch is coming too late. In recent months, spouses, siblings and children of the deceased have grown increasingly frustrated with the city’s handling of the mass shooting’s aftermath.
Last month, they spoke out as a group about their concerns, calling for more transparency and respect from the city. Five families recently hired attorney and former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax to represent them as they consider legal options. He’s also helping them pursue more financial support from the state.
Debbie Borato, the sister of Missy Langer who was killed in the shooting, recently received a letter from the city requesting her input on the remembrance events. She said the outreach felt disingenuous.
“Now, all of a sudden, they’re trying to show they have a good side,” Borato said.
Last year, the results of a survey sent to the victims’ families indicated that they want to provide input on the 5/31 remembrance events, according to the city’s letter.
Last year, Virginia Beach held a moment of silence at 4:06 p.m., when the first 911 call came in, and asked people to pause wherever they were at that time. The forget-me-not flower, a symbol of hope adopted by the city after the mass shooting, was painted on Mount Trashmore and city buildings were lit up in blue lights after the sun went down. An in-person ceremony was also held.
The 5/31 mass shooting is also gaining attention this week at the General Assembly in Richmond where Fairfax is attempting to persuade state legislators to allocate $40 million in the upcoming budget for the victims’ families and injured employees.
Fairfax is requesting a meeting between Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the families before the General Assembly adjourns.
On Monday, he provided the wording of a text message he sent to Secretary of the Commonwealth Kay Cole James, including: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity before the GA adjourns on 2/25 to heal a gaping open wound not just for these twelve families whose loved ones were senselessly mass-murdered on May 31, 2019 in Virginia Beach and the hundreds in Building 2 who were either physically or psychologically wounded, but for all 8.5 million of us Virginians who truly care about each other and would never want our families left behind if similar tragedy befell us.”
Jason Nixon, whose wife, Kate, was killed in the mass shooting, said his health has deteriorated, and he’s concerned about his young daughters. The money would help his family with health care costs, he said.
“We have broken bodies, broken hearts and broken minds,” he said.
According to a January statement issued by the city, it has provided a combined $1.5 million in workers’ compensation benefits to the estates of the 11 city employees who were killed and a combined $5.6 million to the six employees who were injured in the shooting. Another person killed in the shooting was a contractor and not a city employee.
Plans are also underway to build a 5/31 memorial park in Virginia Beach. Two firms will submit their conceptual designs to the memorial committee at the end of February. The committee will gather feedback on the concepts from families, survivors and others in March, and will make a recommendation to the City Council in April.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginimedia.com
