Ryan Keith Cox was among the 12 victims of the shootings in Virginia Beach as he rushed in to help his colleagues get to safety. Of the twelve victims, three were Black, including Cox.
Christi Dewar, also a longtime employee of the public utility department, told NPR and the Virginian-Pilot that Cox led Dewar and other co-workers into a break room and told them to stand against a wall.
"If at all possible, I knew he was going to lead us to safety. We felt safe. He stayed calm. He didn't have any anxious thought in his voice," Dewar told NPR.
Cox instructed Dewar and other co-workers to lock themselves into an office when it looked clear and barricade the door with file cabinets and stay quiet, before he then turned and returned to attempt to prevent more victims.
Ryan Keith Cox was one of 12 killed at Virginia Beach Municipal Center on Friday, May 31, 2019. He was an Account Clerk in Public Utilities employed 12.5 years.
