Reports from the New York Times and the New York Post indicate the Virginia Beach gunman was facing disciplinary action at work when he shot and killed 11 fellow employees.
The gunman also shot and killed an individual who was not an employee.
The Post reports that the gunman “had been facing disciplinary action for a violent fight at work. They cite a NYT report that he increasingly “got into physical scuffles with other city workers” in recent weeks and was actually part of “a violent altercation on city grounds” in the week leading up the attack. But Virginia Beach police Chief James Cervera said it does not appear the gunman targeted any specific individuals.
The gunman had no criminal history apart from traffic citations.
As an employee, the gunman had a security card that allowed him to enter the employee-only areas. Cervera noted that the gunman entered that area lawfully on Friday, only to launch into an attack with two .45 handguns.
During a June 2, Face the Nation appearance Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) reacted to the handgun attack by referencing his “assault weapons” ban.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.