VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – People enjoying the Virginia Beach Neptune festival took time out of their day to stop at 31st Street park for a remembrance ceremony.
“Unfortunately, part of this year of Virginia Beach life was the tragedy on May 31st and as soon as that happened, we recognized we had to do something for the families, the victims, but also to help praise the first responders of what they did,” said chairman of the board of the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival David Burton.
And the community showed up to pay their respects
“What happened on 5/31, we talk about it a lot, and the response was flawless,” said Virginia Beach Police Chief Jim Cervera.
Cervera was one of a handful of people honored at today’s event.
Other first responding agencies were also recognized.
“Thanks to the quick response of our first responders, further tragedy was avoided”, said Stacy Cummings, CFO for Priority Automotive.
The first responders were also thanked for not just what they did that day, but what they do everyday to keep lives safe.
Each of the victims names from that tragic day were read aloud followed by a moment of silence and prayer.
