[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 12, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3368-S3369]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 248--HONORING THE VICTIMS OF THE MASS SHOOTING IN 
                        VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA

  Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. Warner) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 248

       Whereas, on Friday, May 31, 2019, 12 people were killed in 
     a mass shooting at the Municipal Center in Virginia Beach, 
     Virginia;
       Whereas 11 of the 12 victims were employees of the city of 
     Virginia Beach with more than 150 years of combined service 
     to the city, and the remaining victim was a contractor who 
     had come to the Municipal Center for business;
       Whereas Laquita C. Brown, a 4-year employee of the city of 
     Virginia Beach Department of Public Works who was known for 
     her love of travel with friends and her ability to light up a 
     room with her presence, was murdered in the shooting;
       Whereas Ryan Keith Cox, a 12-year employee of the city of 
     Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities who was known 
     for his kindness and beautiful singing voice, and who ran 
     into danger looking for more people to save after ensuring 
     his coworkers were sheltered in a barricaded room, was 
     murdered in the shooting;
       Whereas Tara Welch Gallagher, a 6-year employee of the city 
     of Virginia Beach Department of Public Works who worked as an 
     engineer to provide clean drinking water for her community, 
     was murdered in the shooting;
       Whereas Mary Louise Gayle, a 24-year employee of the city 
     of Virginia Beach Department of Public Works who was known as 
     a cheerful coworker and devoted mother and grandmother, was 
     murdered in the shooting;
       Whereas Alexander Mikhail Gusev, a 9-year employee of the 
     city of Virginia Beach Department of Public Works who 
     emigrated from Belarus to Virginia Beach to find a better 
     life and who was known as a generous and devoted coworker, 
     friend, brother, and uncle, was murdered in the shooting;
       Whereas Joshua O. Hardy, a 4-year employee of the city of 
     Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities who was known 
     for his kindhearted nature and love for his family and faith, 
     was murdered in the shooting;
       Whereas Michelle ``Missy'' Langer, a 12-year employee of 
     the city of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities who 
     was known for her beaming smile and passion for the 
     Pittsburgh Steelers, and who had plans to retire soon, was 
     murdered in the shooting;
       Whereas Richard H. Nettleton, a 28-year employee of the 
     city of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities who was 
     a selfless leader in regional utility system planning and a 
     veteran of the 130th Engineer Brigade of the Army, was 
     murdered in the shooting;
       Whereas Katherine A. Nixon, a 10-year employee of the city 
     of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities who was 
     known for her intellect and who was a loving wife and mother 
     of 3 children, was murdered in the shooting;
       Whereas Christopher Kelly Rapp, an 11-month employee of the 
     city of Virginia Beach Department of Public Works who was 
     known for his kindness, his passion for playing the bagpipes, 
     and his devotion to his wife, was murdered in the shooting;
       Whereas Herbert ``Bert'' Snelling, a contractor who had 
     come to the Municipal Center to get a permit and who was 
     celebrating his 38th wedding anniversary, was murdered in the 
     shooting;
       Whereas Robert ``Bobby'' Williams, a 41-year employee of 
     the city of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities, 
     who was awarded with 8 service awards in recognition of his 
     lifetime of devoted work and who was planning on retiring 
     later in the year to spend more time with his family, was 
     murdered in the shooting;
       Whereas the actions of those city employees who alerted 
     their coworkers to danger and pulled them into shelter saved 
     an unknowable number of lives;
       Whereas police officers responded within minutes of the 
     first reports of shooting, heroically risking their lives by 
     running into the line of fire;
       Whereas 1 police officer was shot while confronting the 
     gunman and survived because he was wearing a bulletproof 
     vest;
       Whereas those who were present at, or responded to, the 
     scene of the shooting encountered a ``war zone'' of horrific 
     violence that will be forever seared into their memories;
       Whereas mental health providers, counselors, and faith 
     leaders have tended to the invisible wounds of the shooting, 
     and will continue to do so for decades to come;
       Whereas Virginia Beach Chief of Police James Cervera, Mayor 
     Bobby Dyer, and City

[[Page S3369]]

     Manager David Hansen have led their community through its 
     darkest hour with courage, dignity, professionalism, and 
     compassion; and
       Whereas, within hours of the shooting, the residents of 
     Virginia Beach had come together in an outpouring of support 
     for those affected, showing the resiliency of love in the 
     face of evil: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) joins the Commonwealth of Virginia in mourning the 
     deaths and celebrating the lives of the 12 victims killed in 
     the shooting at the Municipal Center in Virginia Beach on May 
     31, 2019;
       (2) applauds the heroism, dedication, and compassion of the 
     police officers, first responders, and emergency medical 
     personnel who responded to the shooting and tended to the 
     wounded, in some cases risking their own lives while saving 
     others;
       (3) recognizes the strength of the Virginia Beach community 
     in coming together to show that this tragedy will not define 
     them; and
       (4) reaffirms its responsibility to find ways to prevent 
     more individuals in the United States from dying in acts of 
     violence.

                          ____________________