VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Families of the victims of the 2019 Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooting visited the 5/31 memorial construction site Wednesday, less than two months before its official opening.
Among those at the site was Jason Nixon, whose wife, Kate, was one of the 12 people shot to death on May 31, 2019, when a city worker opened fire inside the municipal center. The gunman also died in the shooting.
During the visit, families walked through the site, stopping to see the newly placed stones bearing the names of the people they lost.
"It's about remembering," Nixon said.
Nixon and several other family members were part of the committee that provided input on the memorial's design. He said every detail was intentional.
"We looked at Sandy Hook we looked at Parkland we looked at several places we looked at all of their memorials everyone had different views and different visions. This was the vision we came up with and we think we picked the best vision," Nixon said.
While construction continues on schedule, the official ribbon-cutting is set for next month on the anniversary of the tragedy. Nixon said the space carries deep meaning and a quiet sense of pride.
"I think it's an honor to have something like this built. I think it's going to make the city of Virginia Beach stand out across the whole nation," Nixon said.
"I think this memorial will stand out across the nation," Nixon said.
