The state commission created to investigate the response to Virginia Beach’s 2019 mass shooting said in its final report that its investigation was stymied by a lack of resources and inability to interview city employees.
The report gives no further insight into the shooting or the motives of the shooter, a city engineer who opened fire in the government building where he worked. The shooter was shot and killed by Virginia Beach Police after he killed 12 people and injured 4 more.
According to a copy of the report obtained from Virginia’s Office of the State Inspector General, the commission details the need for more active shooter training, better preparation for first responders and more trained human resources staff.
The commission also detailed issues it had trying to complete the investigation it was tasked with.
Several Virginia Beach City staff members refused to speak to the commission or were reluctant because they feared retaliation from their employer, according to the report.
The commission cites an example of a man who refused to talk to the commission “because he didn’t have subpoena protection. He indicated that if he did talk to the commission he might be fired.” A different person only agreed to talk to the commission after he found a new job outside the city government.
“If a local or state government intentionally or unintentionally prohibits people not (sic) to talk to investigating bodies, or threatens people to keep them silent, the legislature should have in place laws with penalties to hold organizations and people accountable for obstruction,” the report reads.
The commission recommends that future commissions be given subpoena powers, which would help “break down obstacles as well as overcome managers’ and employees’ lack of willingness to cooperate in an investigation.”
The commission also said the investigation was made more difficult by a lack of funding and staffing, leaving them unable to bring in experts to help the commission.
The report comes after many commissioners quit over the last two years, several in frustration over the direction of the investigation and its lack of progress.
David Cariens, a former CIA analyst, resigned from the commission in June. He wrote in his letter of resignation that the Virginia Beach City government was obstructing the commission’s investigation and that members of the commission were more interested in protecting the city than getting answers.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares - a former Virginia Beach delegate - has also lambasted the commission for its dysfunction and lack of progress. As a delegate, Miyares pushed for the creation of the commission in 2020.
Through a spokesperson, Miyares said Tuesday he applauded the commission for its reccommendations on things like making it easier for first responders to enter public buildings – something that slowed the police response to the shooting.
"However, it is also true that the commission faced many obstacles in doing its work, including too often a lack of quorum, a lack of funding and no subpoena power. My hope is that Virginia Beach can learn, heal and work to ensure such a tragedy never again occurs," Miyares said.
Virginia Beach Police reported they could find no motivefor the shooting in March 2021, after nearly two years of investigation.
However, an FBI report issued three months later concluded the shooter “was motivated by perceived workplace grievances” that festered for years. The agency wrote that the shooter believed he was being repeatedly and unfairly criticized at work and he viewed violence as a way to “restore his perverted view of justice.”
Some victims’ families have alleged that the city failed to address obvious issues with the shooter and bears responsibility for what happened.
