Police named the gunman who killed 12 people in a Virginia Beach municipal building Saturday at a press conference. The gunman was identified as DeWayne Craddock, a 15-year city employee who had served in the military.
Police Chief James Cervera said during the conference that it would be the only time law enforcement would be mentioning his name publicly. Authorities instead used the conference to focus on the victims of the attack.
"They leave a void that we will never be able to fill," said City Manager Dave Hansen.
Here is what we know about Craddock so far:
He was a city employee for 15 years
Craddock was employed as an engineer with the city's public utilities department for 15 years. He worked in the city's water and sanitary sewers branch. He was currently employed with the department at the time of the attack, and possessed a security pass that allowed him access to nonpublic areas of the municipal building.
His motive is still unclear
Cervera declined to provide a motive for the attack during the press conference. Authorities did not say whether or not Craddock was facing disciplinary or termination proceedings at the time of the shooting.
The suspect had multiple weapons
Cervera said that the suspect used a .45-caliber handgun with a suppressor during the attack. In Virginia, silencers are legal, though it is illegal to have one in Virginia Beach per local ordinance.
Police also said they recovered "additional weapons" that were in the possession of the suspect. The weapons were recovered both at the scene as well as the suspect's home.
He served in the National Guard and had an engineering background
Police said the suspect was a professional engineer who had graduated from Denbigh High School in nearby Newport News in 1996 and joined the Army National Guard, according to a newspaper clip from the time. He received basic military training and advanced individual training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He later graduated from Old Dominion University with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. Before going to work in Virginia Beach, he worked for a private engineering firm in Hampton Roads.
Craddock appears to have had no felony record, which would have made him eligible to purchase firearms.
His neighbors said he was quiet and kept to himself
Several neighbors said Craddock was clean cut, a member of the neighborhood association board and spent time lots of time at the gym. But they also said he mostly kept to himself, especially after his wife left him some number of years ago.
Angela Scarborough, who lives in the neighborhood, said "he was very quiet . he would just wave."
She said she knew his wife, but she left some time ago. "She just left," Scarborough said. "Didn't let us know or anything."
The Associated Press contributed to this report