11 dead after gunman fires 'indiscriminately' in Virginia govt comple

A longtime public utilities employee sprayed gunfire "indiscriminately" in a government building complex in Virginia Beach, in the US state of Virginia, killing 11 people and wounding six, police said.

The gunman was also killed after trading fire with responding officers, police chief James Cervera told a news conference on Friday.

"We have 11 deceased victims there at the scene, six more victims transported to area hospitals," he said, adding that the condition of those wounded was not immediately available.

The shooting happened just after 4:00 pm (local time), when the gunman entered one of the buildings at the Virginia Beach municipal complex and "immediately began to indiscriminately fire on all of the victims," Cervera said.

The wounded included a police officer, who was saved by his bulletproof vest. "This is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach," Mayor Bobby Dwyer told reporters. "The people involved are our friends, co-workers, neighbors and colleagues."