Officials in Virginia Beach pushed back on Thursday against what they described as “rumors, innuendo, conflicting theories and speculation” about last month’s mass shooting in a municipal building, the Associated Press reports. But police in this coastal city of nearly half a million people were also no closer to offering a possible motive behind the nation’s deadliest mass shooting in 2019. And the family of one of the 12 people who died is demanding an independent investigation.
Following days of relative quiet, the city released a lengthy explanation for where its investigation stands nearly two weeks after civil engineer DeWayne Craddock opened fire in the large city building where he worked. The statement outlined police efforts, including plans to interview 240 people, but it also sought to rebut misinformation about a tragedy that remains particularly inscrutable and ripe for conjecture.