The attacker was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. Four other people were also wounded in the attack. Three remain in critical condition and one is in fair condition, according to law enforcement officials.

The victims include Laquita C. Brown, Tara Welch Gallagher, Mary Louise Gayle, Alexander Mikhail Gusev, Katherine A. Nixon, Richard H. Nettleton, Christopher Kelly Rapp, Ryan Keith Cox, Joshua O. Hardy, Robert "Bobby" Williams, Michelle "Missy" Langer, and Herbert "Bert" Snelling.

Mayor Bobby Dyer called it the "most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach."

"It's a shock," he told CBN News. "This is not the Virginia Beach that everybody in Virginia Beach knows."

"We have to have the resolve and the resiliency to work through this going forward," he continued. "And I really think that knowing the Virginia Beach community—people are going to come together. People are going to unify and try to help out the families and the friends."

"This was a community tragedy," he added.

The attack happened shortly after 4:00 pm when a longtime employee of the Public Utilities Department who Virginia Beach officials identified as Dewayne Craddock, 40, entered the building and began shooting "indiscriminately at all the victims," Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said.

Four police officers responded to the scene—two detective supervisors and two handlers from the K-9 unit—and engaged the suspect in what the chief described as a long-term gun battle. One officer was shot but was saved by his bullet-proof vest.

By engaging the suspect, the officers kept him from taking even more lives, Cervera told reporters.

The government building is open to the public with inner offices and working spaces requiring an employee pass for access. As a current employee, the suspect had a hard pass that allowed him to enter those areas.

Victims were found on all three floors of the building, and the scene could be described as a "war zone," he said. Two .45 handguns and multiple extended magazines were found empty at the site. Both of the weapons were purchased legally, according to the ATF.

Investigators and technicians worked throughout the night processing the scene and removing victims from the scene to the medical examiner's office.

Police Chief James Cervera called it "a large-scale crime scene ... a horrific crime scene" that's taking a "physical, emotional and psychological" toll on the teams processing the site. Law enforcement officers found more two more weapons at the suspect's home.

Federal and state agencies are assisting in the investigation. About 40 FBI personnel are involved, as well as ATF, Homeland Security, and Virginia State Police.

Chief Cervera said police officers "checked every room on every floor, every closet, and under every desk" and escorted many employees out of the building "operating with care and compassion for our brothers and sisters."

Ten of the victims were found in the building and one outside in a car; another died on the way to the hospital.

It was earlier reported that Craddock's employment had been terminated by the city. Cervera told reporters at a Saturday afternoon news conference that this report was not true. [Later it was confirmed that Craddock had emailed his resignation prior to the attack]

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) shared with CBN News that she had been in the area just minutes before the shooting.

"I had been here just around the corner," she said. "I was visiting with Sheriff Stolle at the jail, and we were just right around the corner minutes before this happened."

"And so, when you're close by something like that, it drives home how vulnerable we are everywhere to this type of violence," Luria continued. "I'm fortunate that I came home tonight, but what's tragic is the families who their parents, their sons, their daughters—they didn't come home tonight."

Chief Cervera, Mayor Dyer, and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam all emphasized the needs of the victims' families.

"Each victim leaves a hole in their family, in their neighborhood, in their community," Gov. Northam said.

"We must take care of these families. They will need support in the months and years to come."

Vigils Held All Weekend

Prayer vigils were held over the weekend to honor the victims in several churches across the Hampton Roads area. (Screengrab image: via KHOU)

In addition, the City of Virginia Beach announced a memorial service for the victims will be held at 7:00 pm Thursday at Rock Church located at 640 Kempsville Road.

The community is responding with offers to serve the victims. Counselors from the Salvation Army are offering support to victims' families and survivors of the attack at Princess Anne Middle School, where families and survivors gathered Friday evening.

Hansen said taking care of the victims is the priority. "We will wrap our arms around those that serve with us here in Virginia Beach" and "make sure their loved ones are taken care of and supported."

President Donald Trump also offered his condolences to the Virginia Beach community and the affected families in a tweet Saturday morning.

Vice President Mike Pence also used social media to express he and his wife's "deepest sympathies and prayers to the families of the victims of the Virginia Beach shooting" and also thanked first responders and law enforcement officials. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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