9 of 12 victims in Virginia Beach shooting were shot in head, medical examiner says

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The local medical examiner's office on Wednesday released the cause of death for each of the 12 victims of last week's mass shooting at the city's Municipal Center, revealing that all but three had been shot in the head.

Those who sustained shots to the head included Michelle "Missy" Langer; Tara Welch Gallagher; Mary Louis Gayle; Alexander Mikhail Gusev; Katherine A. Nixon; Herbert "Bert" Snelling; LaQuita C. Brown; Robert "Bobby" Williams; and Richard H. Nettleton, according to an email from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's Office.

Christopher Kelly Rapp died from a gunshot to the torso; Ryan Keith Cox from shots to his torso and neck; and Joshua O. Hardy died from multiple gunshots, the email said.

The gunman, 40-year-old DeWayne Craddock, died from multiple gunshot wounds. All 13 deaths were ruled a homicide.

The incident took place late Friday afternoon at the operations building at the city's Municipal Center after Craddock, a longtime engineer for the city's public utilities department, entered the building armed with two .45-caliber handguns and began firing.
All but one of the victims — Snelling — were city employees and were killed inside. Snelling, a contractor who was there to get a permit, was shot in his car in the parking lot.

Police said Craddock was killed after engaging in a long gun battle with the first officers to arrive at the scene.