Virginia Beach Shooting: Details Released On 9 Killed

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — As details continue to come to light in the aftermath of last Friday's mass shooting that claimed 12 victims at the city's municipal center, particularly sobering information was revealed Wednesday. The medical examiner's office has released the causes of death of the victims — all but three of the 12 victims were shot in the head.

First reported by The Virginian-Pilot after an email from the Chief Medical Examiner's Office, those who were shot in the head May 31 include Michelle "Missy" Langer, Tara Welch Gallagher, Mary Louise Gayle, Alexander Mikhail Gusev, Katherine A. Nixon, Herbert "Bert" Snelling, LaQuita C. Brown, Robert "Bobby" Williams and Richard H. Nettleton.

Christopher Kelly Rapp died of a gunshot to the torso, Ryan Keith Cox from gunshot wounds to his torso and neck, and Joshua O. Hardy died of multiple gunshots, reported the Norfolk newspaper. Cox has been credited for his actions during the shooting that may well have saved multiple lives.

Authorities said that hours before he opened fire on city workers, killing a dozen people and injuring several others, DeWayne Craddock, 40, notified a superior in an email of his plans to resign. Craddock worked in the city's utilities department as an engineer. He was taken into custody alive following a gun battle with police, but later died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Meanwhile, one of the four injured and hospitalized victims, Melanie Coffey, has been upgraded from critical to fair condition, according to multiple reports. Coffey released a statement Wednesday, June 5, thanking police and doctors. The other three remain in critical condition.

See also:

• Virginia Beach Shooting: 12 Dead, Plus Gunman; More Injured
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• Trump Stops At McLean Bible Church After Virginia Beach Shooting