VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.—A longtime municipal employee in Virginia Beach shot and killed 11 people Friday afternoon and injured several others inside a public works building before he was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police, city officials said at a news conference.

Police Chief Kames Cervera said an officer was among the six wounded but was saved by his protective vest. He said the gunman, whom he did not identify, “fired indiscriminately” on several floors of the building, one of many in a complex near the centre of the city.

“This is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach,” Mayor Bobby Dyer said. “People involved friends, co-workers, neighbours, colleagues.”

The shooting occurred about 4 p.m., near the end of the workday, as workers were winding down for the weekend. City Councilman Aaron Rouse Tweeted, “Pray for our City!” Councilman Aaron Rouse said, “This day will not define Virginia Beach ... We will come together.”

Gov. Ralph Northam, who was en route to the city Friday night, called it a “tragic day for Virginia Beach and our entire Commonwealth. My heart breaks for the victims of this devastating shooting, their families, and all who loved them.”

Megan Banton, who works in the public works building where the shooting occurred, said she was on the second floor of the building when her supervisor heard a loud noise and told people to go into her office.

The sound of gunshots continued as about 20 people huddled on the floor after they barricaded the door with a desk. “We kept hearing gunfire,” Banton said. “We were trying to keep as quiet as possible.”

She said some people in the office were crying; others appeared nervous and some were just silent.

Relatives of victims were told to gather at a middle school for updates, even as representatives from the medical examiner’s office were headed to the scene. Police and other public safety workers were busy processing the vast crime scene and trying to identify the victims Friday night and were expected to be there into Saturday.

Conditions of the surviving victims were not immediately available; five patients were sent to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital and one was taken to Sentara Princess Anne Hospital.

Banton, the employee who was on the second floor of the public works building, said she has an 11-month-old baby boy at home and she sat wondering if she would ever see him again.

“You never think this is going to happen to you. When it happens to you, it’s totally different,” Banton said.

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Sheila Cook, who was in the courthouse building in the complex, told a local television news station she heard muffled gunshots but knew it wasn’t in her building. She said police acted quickly in telling people that they were safe after the shooter had been apprehended.

“That was enough to make me feel safe enough to come outside and that God was with us,” she said. She added,”I’m feeling shaken and relieved at the same time.”

Cervera, the police chief, said it was too soon provide details of the suspected shooter or how it unfolded, though it appeared to be quick. He said officers entered the building shortly after the first calls and confronted the gunman. He said the FBI is assisting in the investigation.

“There is no way to describe an incident such as this,” Cervera said. “The suspect was immediately confronted. ... our citizens can rest easy tonight. We do not have someone out in the community to do more harm.”