- Virginia Beach law enforcement officials identified the gunman who killed at least 12 people at a municipal center but said they would refer to his name only once, out of respect for the victims and their family members.
- "We're going to mention his name once," Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said. "And he will be forever referred to as 'the suspect.' Because our focus now is the dignity and respect for the victims in this case and to their families."
- News organizations that have referred to mass shooting suspects by their name have been criticized for raising their profile.
- Following the Christchurch shooting in which 51 people were killed, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern referred to the gunman and said "you will never hear me mention his name."
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Virginia Beach law enforcement officials have identified the gunman who killed at least 12 people at a municipal center, but said they would refer to his name only once, out of respect for the victims and their family members.
"We do know who the suspect is," Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said during a press conference on Friday evening. "We have not been successful in notifying certain family members. Once we are able to do that, we will release his name, once."
"We're going to mention his name, once," Cervera added. "And he will be forever referred to as 'the suspect.' Because our focus now is the dignity and respect for the victims in this case and to their families."
Police have not yet publicly identified the suspect, but described him as a disgruntled, longtime public utilities employee who indiscriminately shot at employees at the city building at around 4:00 p.m. Four people were injured, including a law enforcement officer whose protective vest "saved" him after absorbing a bullet's impact, Cervera said.
The gunman was killed after an extended gun fight with police. Officials said he was armed with a .45 handgun with a sound suppressor, a rifle, and extended magazines. The firearms were legally purchased, according to Cervera.
News organizations that have referred to mass shooting suspects by their name (and linked to their manifestos or other information) have been criticized for allegedly raising their profile.
"A lot of these shooters want to be treated like celebrities," University of Alabama criminologist Adam Lankford said to the Associated Press. "They want to be famous. So the key is to not give them that treatment."
Following the Christchurch shooting, where 51 people were killed, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern firmly said "you will never hear me mention his name."
"He is a terrorist, he is a criminal, he is an extremist," Ardern said of the shooter in March. "But he will, when I speak, be nameless."
"He may have sought notoriety, but we in New Zealand will give him nothing. Not even his name," she added.
Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer also appeared to separate the dead gunman from the total number of deaths in the shooting.
"The suspect is separate," Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer said during a CNN interview. "The victims are the victims. The suspect is a different situation."
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