Fam of VaBeach Mass Shooting Victim Hires Justin Fairfax as Attorney #VBStrong
THE 2019 VIRGINIA BEACH MASSACRE. On May 31, 2019, a disgruntled City of Virginia Beach civil engineer, DeWayne Craddock, 40, murdered 12 of his co-workers. The shocking massacre took place at the City of Virginia Beach Municipal Center. Craddock resigned via e-mail the same day before committing one of the worst mass murders in Virginia’s history. He was killed by police after a lengthy gun battle.
Now the husband of one of the victims, Kate Nixon, has hired Virginia’s 41st Lt. Governor, Justin Fairfax, as their attorney. A former federal prosecutor, Fairfax served as Lt. Governor from 2018 to 2022.
Yesterday, 13NewsNow reported that Justin Fairfax was hired to represent the family of Virginia Beach shooting victim Kate Nixon.
Jason Nixon’s wife Kate was murdered by Craddock during the massacre and he is now raising the couple’s children alone. There have been events, memorials, commissions and wreaths — but no compensation or ongoing support for the family members of those murdered. The names of the victims should not be forgotten:
Despite symbolic gestures, none of the families have received the type of support from the city of Virginia Beach in the same way the families of other victims of mass shootings have across the U.S. After all the memorials, moments of silence and “I’m sorrys” ended, there was inaction regarding support and little clear explanation of how such a mass murder could take place in a government space of Virginia’s largest city. A 21-person commission to review the mass murder also turned dysfunctional, which the Virginian-Pilot recently noted in a scathing Dec. 15, 2022 editorial entitled A Need for Answers in Virginia Beach.
On Dec. 14, 2022, Attorney General Jason Miyares blasted the commission charged with looking into the violent massacre that took the lives of 12 city employees and left four others injured.
“I have been incredibly disappointed in the way that the commission has conducted their investigation and review thus far,” Attorney General Miyares wrote in a letter to the commission this month. “Not even half of the membership attended the commission's second meeting,” he added.
Jason Nixon, whose wife, Kate Nixon, was murdered at the city municipal center, told The Associated Press that the shooter, DeWayne Craddock, was upset because he didn’t get a promotion.
“Human resources dropped the ball on policies, protocol and procedures. My wife warned them all the time that there’s something wrong with this guy,” Nixon told media. A commission member, David Cariens, was critical of the commission and on Dec. 12 he spoke with media about the many problems the commission had to work through.
TRAGEDY. Jason Nixon is one of the most open and candid family members whose loved-one was killed in the May 2019 massacre. He hired Virginia’s 41st Lt. Governor, Justin Fairfax, as his attorney this week. Fairfax just finished handling another tragedy in Virginia Beach on behalf of the family of Donovon Lynch as the City settled an officer-involved wrongful death lawsuit for $3 million. Jason Nixon says he is still looking for justice in his wife’s death.
The Virginia Beach massacre began in a parking lot of Building 2 at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center on the last day of May 2019. Craddock, a city employee, was a noted malcontent in the office and several of his victims were in jobs related to managing his issues in their workplace. 🚩An investigative summary of the massacre was released by the city in March 2021. It can be downloaded here:
In 2019, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer called the massacre, “the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach.” That devastation lingers as so many of the 12 murdered on that day were the financial breadwinners for their families.
“We must take care of these families, these horrific tragedies test our soul,” then-Governor Ralph Northam said in 2019 after the massacre.
“Every time there's a mass shooting we sit down and we work our lips, but we don't work our laws," said Pastor Dr. E. Ray Cox, Sr., who eulogized his son Ryan Keith Cox on June 9 at New Hope Baptist Church in Virginia Beach. Cox’s son was murdered at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center.
Pastor Cox added: "We ought to talk about things, but when you get through talking what are you going to do about it?”
Jason Nixon is seen during an interview on 13News here:
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