Crimes and Courts
Virginia victims had 150 years of combined service with city
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Four were engineers who worked to maintain streets and protect wetlands. Three were right-of-way agents who reviewed property lines. The others included an account clerk, a technician, an administrative assistant and a special projects coordinator. In all, they had served the city of Virginia Beach for more than 150 years.
These 11 city employees and one contractor were wiped out Friday when a fellow city worker opened fire inside a municipal building. A day after the shooting, city officials sought to honor them by sharing their job titles and years of service in a somber slideshow.
“They leave a void that we will never be able to fill,” said City Manager Dave Hansen, who had worked for years with many of the dead.
Police Chief James Cervera identified the assailant as DeWayne Craddock, who had been employed for 15 years as an engineer with the city’s utilities department. He declined to comment on a motive for the rampage, which ended with the shooter’s death in a gun battle with officers. City officials uttered his name just once and said they would not mention it again.
Joseph Scott, an engineering technician with the utilities department, said he had worked with Craddock and had a brief interaction with him Friday, passing him in the men’s restroom about five minutes before the shooting.
“He was in there brushing his teeth, which he always did after he ate,” Scott said. “I said ‘Hey, how you doing? What are you doing this weekend?’ It was just a brief conversation.”
Scott said he left for the day right after and learned of the shooting when a co-worker and then his son called him asking if he was OK.
“I couldn’t believe that it happened,” he said.
One of the dead employees had worked for the city for 41 years. Six worked in the same department as the suspect, though authorities have declined to say if anyone was specifically targeted or if the suspect had issued threats before. The victims were found throughout the building, on three floors, police said.
The municipal building was open to the public, but security passes were required to enter inner offices, conference rooms and other work areas. As a current employee, Craddock would have had the pass to enter the inner offices, Hansen said.
In response to a reporter’s question, Cervera said the gunman had not been fired.
One of the dead, Christopher Kelly Rapp of Powhatan, enjoyed Scottish music and joined a pipe band last fall. He played with the group in October during a Celtic festival in Virginia and marched with bandmates on St. Patrick’s Day.
“Chris was reserved but very friendly, quietly engaging members one-on-one after our weekly practices,” the band, Tidewater Pipes & Drums, said in a statement.
Another victim, Mary Louise Gayle of Virginia Beach, was described as a “super sweet lady” who always had a big smile. “She would always be out there in the yard, working on something and talking to my daughters,” John Cushman, Gayle’s next-door neighbor, told The New York Times.
The other employees who were killed were identified as Tara Welch Gallagher, Alexander Mikhail Gusev, Katherine A. Nixon, Ryan Keith Cox, Joshua O. Hardy and Michelle “Missy” Langer, all of Virginia Beach; Laquita C. Brown and Robert “Bobby” Williams, both of Chesapeake; and Richard H. Nettleton of Norfolk. The 12th victim, Herbert “Bert” Snelling of Virginia Beach, was a contractor who was in the building to seek a permit.
The police and fire departments were to assign members of their honor guards to help each victim’s family.
Authorities have said the shooter fired indiscriminately. At least three other people who were wounded remained hospitalized Saturday.
Craddock appeared to have had no felony record, making him eligible to purchase guns.
Government investigators identified two .45-caliber pistols used in the attack, said Ashan Benedict, the regional special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
All indications were that the shooter purchased the weapons legally, one in 2016 and one in 2018, Benedict said. The police chief said at least one had a noise suppressor.
City officials scheduled another media morning for 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Craddock, 40, graduated from Denbigh High School in nearby Newport News in 1996 and joined the Army National Guard, according to a newspaper clip from the time. He received basic military training and advanced individual training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He later graduated from Old Dominion University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
Scott said he worked in a different division from Craddock, whom he described as quiet, polite and a “nice guy.” Scott said he thought Craddock was in good standing at work and had never heard negative reports about him.
A handwritten note was posted Saturday at the suspect’s home expressing condolences to the shooting victims on behalf of his family.
Hundreds of people attended Saturday prayer vigils for the dead. Scott said he, his wife and several others prayed for the shooter too.
“He was a human too, and his family is hurting too,” Scott said. “He’s not evil … he was just another guy who had problems.”
Neighbors described Craddock as a car enthusiast and bodybuilder.
Amanda Archer, 22, and Cassetty Howerin, 23, lived in a Virginia Beach townhome beneath Craddock for the past year and only got to know him in passing, exchanging the occasional greeting.
“He wasn’t much of a talker,” Archer recalled. “He’s a mystery to us. He’s a mystery to everybody, apparently.”
Crimes and Courts
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Central Florida News
Attorney General James Uthmeter announces 100 felony counts against Kissimmee man, sues AI platform
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Wednesday, Oct. 28, that a Kissimmee man faces 100 felony counts involving child sexual abuse material and images depicting sexual activity with animals. In a separate action, the state sued an artificial intelligence company accused of enabling users to generate sexualized images of children and other people without their consent.
The criminal case names Jerry Jesus Reyes, 26. The civil lawsuit targets Rengstorff Consulting Ltd., the company operating the A2E artificial intelligence platform.
“There is nothing more evil than the sexual exploitation of children, and anyone who possesses, shares, or creates these images is an active participant in that abuse,” Uthmeier said in a statement.
Osceola County Sheriff Christopher Blackmon. Photo by Florida National News
Tip leads to criminal investigation
According to the attorney general’s office, the Reyes investigation began with a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children concerning activity on a Snapchat account.
Detectives with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit used subpoenas and search warrants to link the account to Reyes, authorities said. Investigators reported finding files depicting the sexual abuse of children and sexual activity involving an animal.
The charges include:
- 86 counts of unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual performance by a child.
- 13 counts of unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual activity with animals.
- One count of transmitting child pornography by electronic device.
Potential prison penalties
According to the announcement, the child sexual abuse material possession charges were reclassified as first-degree felonies because the case involved 10 or more images. First-degree felonies generally carry a maximum sentence of 30 years per count under Florida law.
The second-degree felony transmission charge carries a five-year mandatory minimum, according to the announcement, and a statutory maximum of 15 years. Third-degree felonies generally carry up to five years per count.
Reyes could face decades in state prison if convicted. His total sentence would depend on the convictions, applicable sentencing provisions and whether the judge orders sentences served concurrently or consecutively.
The attorney general’s office said Reyes was being held at the Osceola County Jail on $100,000 bond, with conditions of release prohibiting internet access and contact with minors.
Senior Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Lauryn Day is prosecuting the case in the Ninth Judicial Circuit.
Separate lawsuit targets AI platform
In the civil case, the state alleges A2E allows users to upload photographs or videos of real people, including children, and generate nude or sexually explicit depictions without their consent.
The complaint also alleges the platform permits users to digitally alter adults to appear underage in sexualized imagery.
Although A2E’s terms prohibit certain abusive content, the state alleges the company failed to enforce those restrictions through adequate monitoring, consent verification and reporting of illegal material.
The complaint cites separate criminal investigations in Tampa and Tallahassee in which people allegedly used A2E to generate child sexual abuse material.
“Predators who traffic in the abuse of children and animals have no place in Florida,” Uthmeier said.
He added that companies profiting from AI tools that facilitate child sexual abuse material or nonconsensual sexual imagery “will be held accountable.”
State seeks injunction and financial penalties
The lawsuit, filed in Sarasota County, alleges violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
The state seeks a permanent injunction restricting the company’s provision of the challenged AI tools, restitution, recovery of profits and civil penalties of up to $10,000 per willful violation.
Reyes is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The allegations against Rengstorff Consulting have not been proven in court. Responses from Reyes or his attorney and the company were not included in the materials available for this report.
Central Florida News
FBI Director Kash Patel Addresses Global Threats, Crime-Fighting Partnerships at International Police Conference in Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) — FBI Director Kash Patel discussed bureau priorities, violent crime and cooperation across jurisdictions during the 2026 International Association of Chiefs of Police conference at the Orange County Convention Center.
The annual conference and exposition, held Oct. 24-27, brought together law enforcement professionals from the United States and abroad for training, presentations and discussions about public safety.
Patel addressed the evolving global threat environment and the importance of partnerships among federal, state, local, territorial and international law enforcement agencies confronting violent crime and transnational threats.
FBI priorities and violent crime
Violent crime enforcement was among the priorities Patel discussed during his Orlando visit.
Published coverage of his weekly update from Orlando described a broader agenda encompassing cybercrime, fraud and other investigative responsibilities. The update also highlighted cooperation among the FBI, the Justice Department and state and local authorities.
The conference provided an opportunity for bureau leadership to discuss those priorities with police executives whose agencies work alongside federal investigators.
Photo by Florida National News
Cooperation across jurisdictions
Partnerships were a central theme of Patel’s appearance, including coordination among agencies at different levels of government and cooperation with international counterparts.
Transnational investigations can involve suspects, evidence and criminal activity spanning multiple jurisdictions, requiring agencies to work across geographic and institutional boundaries.
Published coverage of Patel’s visit also reported plans for meetings with the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the IACP Board of Directors.
Patel highlights partnerships in X post
“Great to be in Orlando visiting with our brilliant law enforcement partners,” Patel wrote in a post on X about the conference.
Patel described the gathering as drawing more than 20,000 law enforcement professionals, leaders and partners. He credited cooperation with the FBI for reductions in crime.
In the post, Patel cited a 20% reduction in the national murder rate and more than 54,000 FBI violent crime arrests, which he described as a 90% increase.
The post did not specify the reporting periods or underlying datasets for those figures. The statistics were not independently verified for this article..
Global threats and local policing
The changing threat environment was another focus of Patel’s remarks, connecting the FBI’s national responsibilities with challenges facing police departments and their international partners.
The gathering offered law enforcement leaders an opportunity to discuss shared concerns, exchange professional knowledge and strengthen relationships that support investigations.
FBI Director Kash Patel, right, participates in a fireside chat with IACP President David B. Rausch during the Closing General Assembly of the 2026 International Association of Chiefs of Police conference at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Photo by Florida National News.
Training and professional development
Beyond executive presentations, the four-day conference featured educational sessions, networking opportunities and an exposition showcasing products and services for law enforcement.
Organizers identified training, networking and exhibit hall education as the conference’s three central components.
The Orlando event brought those activities together to help police leaders develop their agencies and exchange approaches to public safety.
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Florida National News Staff | News@FloridaNationalNews.com
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