There were still many unanswered questions around why 40-year-old DeWayne Craddock shot and killed 12 people in a Virginia Beach city building where he worked and had recently resigned. Now the family of one of the victims, who allegedly reprimanded him for having a poor attitude, is demanding an independent investigation.
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Kate Nixon, one of the victims and an engineer who worked with Craddock “had written him up in the past and thought he had a poor attitude,” the Associated Press reported.
“We don’t know if he was facing discipline or termination when he resigned, but the resignation email he sent and reply he got suggest that something was going on,” an attorney representing Nixon’s family said. “The shooter’s complete employment records should be released immediately as permitted by law, and a comprehensive independent investigation should be pursued without further delay.”
However, officials have said Nixon did not receive Craddock’s resignation email and she “was not a supervisor in the shooter’s chain of command.”
Media have requested his employment records but nothing has been released and the search warrants are sealed.
“(W)e understand the intense interest in finding out why one of our own conducted this deadly rampage. No one wants answers more than we do,” Virginia Beach officials said in a statement. “We, like the families, co-workers and community, want to understand the circumstances that played into this tragedy as best we can.”
Craddock resigned just hours before the shooting and PBS reported that his letter of resignation gave no indication that he was anger or upset. City Manager Dave Hansen also said Craddock was an employee “in good standing” and showed “satisfactory” job performance. It was not immediately clear why he resigned.
However, the New York Times reported there were acts of violence from Craddock. He allegedly got into physical “scuffles” with other city workers, just a week before, which resulted in “a violent altercation on city grounds.” The Washington Post reports officials said police have “not uncovered evidence corroborating these allegations.”
Craddock was described as a longtime city worker employed as an engineer with the Department of Public Utilities at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center for about 15 years. “Victims were found on three floors of Building 2 and one victim was found shot in a car outside,” CBS News reported. Building 2 is where the Department of Public Utilities is located.
Our condolences go out to everyone affected by this tragedy.
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