Washington DC —The National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) extends its condolences and prayers to the family members, friends and colleagues of those killed and injured in our nation’s most recent mass shooting in Virginia Beach, VA, in which 12 people were killed, and several more seriously injured, when a public works employee opened fire at a municipal building in on Friday, May 31.
Most of the victims were civil servants; people who worked on construction, water quality, and right of way projects. Another was a local contractor seeking a permit. Between them, they had over 150 years of experience helping to make Virginia’s largest city and popular tourism hub work. Committed to excellence in public service, they were the unelected, behind-the-scenes figures who drew up plans, issued permits and performed the vital jobs that help keep communities intact.
This heartbreaking tragedy has pushed the nation’s growing death toll from mass shootings higher. According to Mass Shooting Tracker, an organization that records all incidents of mass gun violence in the US, there have been nearly 200 mass shootings in 2019 thus far. There were more than 400 mass shootings in 2018. The organization defines a mass shooting as an incident of violence in which four or more people are shot in a single shooting spree (regardless of fatalities).
“Our hearts and prayers are with the families and colleagues of the victims of Friday’s mass shooting and the City of Virginia Beach. May God be with you and comfort you at this time,” said the Honorable Gilda Cobb-Hunter, South Carolina State Representative and President of NBCSL.