12 killed, six wounded after mass shooting incident in Virginia
Washington: A disgruntled veteran public utilities employee stormed a government building in the US State of Virginia and fired indiscriminately at his co-workers, killing at least 12 people and wounding six others, police said Saturday.
The gunman, whose identity has not been released, was killed when police responded to the shooting in the southeastern coastal city of Virginia Beach.
The suspect, a long-term and current Virginia Beach city employee, fired "indiscriminately" in a public utilities building, police said.
Police Chief James Cervera told reporters there was an exchange of gunfire with officers and a police officer whose ballistic vest stopped a bullet was injured.
"This is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach. The people involved are our friends, coworkers, neighbour, colleagues," Mayor Bobby Dyer was quoted as saying by the CNN.
The shooter was a disgruntled employee, the report said, quoting a Virginia government source.
"The President has been briefed on the shooting in Virginia Beach, VA and continues to monitor the situation," White House said.
"This is a horrific day for the Commonwealth of Virginia. We are devastated by the tragic shooting in Virginia Beach," said Virginia Governor Ralph Northam after visiting the scene.
The shooting took place shortly after 4 PM within the sprawling Virginia Beach Municipal Center, a campus of city offices and agencies, including the Police Department, when the gunman entered the public works department building of the city's municipal center.
The attack unfolded on multiple floors in Building No. 2, which includes offices for planning and public works, among others, and is adjacent to City Hall. The name of the gunman, who worked in the public utilities department, was not revealed by the city policy, police said.
Police found victims on every floor of the building, the police chief said, adding the identities of the victims were not immediately released nor was the motive of the attack.
According to local Virginian Pilot newspaper, the shooter came armed with a .45-caliber handgun with a sound suppressor on it and shot one victim in a vehicle outside before entering the building. The rest were shot inside.
The FBI is helping the city police in investigating the shooting incident.
Senator Mark R Warner said that he is horrified by what has happened in Virginia Beach.
"I am thankful to law enforcement for their swift and courageous response. My heart goes out to all the victims of today's senseless violence, their families, and the entire community that has been affected by these awful events. I will be praying for the swift recovery of those injured," he said.
"My heart breaks for Virginia Beach. For the victims, their families, the community, everyone impacted by this terrible act of violence. But the moment we resign ourselves to be just onlookers to such carnage, we lose our soul. We can and will take action," Senator Ed Markey said.
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Broken relationships don't automatically amount to abetment of suicide: SC
New Delhi (PTI): Broken relationships, while emotionally distressing, do not automatically amount to abetment of suicide in the absence of intention leading to the criminal offence, the Supreme Court on Friday said.
The observations came from a bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Ujjal Bhuyan in a judgement, which overturned the conviction of one Kamaruddin Dastagir Sanadi by the Karnataka High Court for the offences of cheating and abetment of suicide under the IPC.
"This is a case of a broken relationship, not criminal conduct," the judgment said.
Sanadi was initially charged under Sections 417 (cheating), 306 (abetment of suicide), and 376 (rape) of the IPC.
While the trial court acquitted him of all the charges, the Karnataka High Court, on the state's appeal, convicted him of cheating and abetment of suicide, sentencing him to five years imprisonment and imposing Rs 25,000 in fine.
According to the FIR registered at the mother's instance, her 21-year-old daughter was in love with the accused for the past eight years and died by suicide in August, 2007, after he refused to keep his promise to marry.
Writing a 17-page judgement, Justice Mithal analysed the two dying declarations of the woman and noted that neither was there any allegation of a physical relationship between the couple nor there was any intentional act leading to the suicide.
The judgement therefore underlined broken relationships were emotionally distressing, but did not automatically amount to criminal offences.
"Even in cases where the victim dies by suicide, which may be as a result of cruelty meted out to her, the courts have always held that discord and differences in domestic life are quite common in society and that the commission of such an offence largely depends upon the mental state of the victim," said the apex court.
The court further said, "Surely, until and unless some guilty intention on the part of the accused is established, it is ordinarily not possible to convict him for an offence under Section 306 IPC.”
The judgement said there was no evidence to suggest that the man instigated or provoked the woman to die by suicide and underscored a mere refusal to marry, even after a long relationship, did not constitute abetment.
