On a tragic Monday morning, September 16, 2013, the life of 46-year-old Kenneth Bernard Proctor was cut short in a devastating act of violence at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. A Native American and a proud member of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe, Proctor was a civilian utilities foreman who had dedicated over two decades of his life to government service.
He was the youngest of the twelve victims who perished that day in what became one of the deadliest mass shootings in the city's recent history.
That morning, Proctor had gone to Building 197 for breakfast, a routine part of his day. He did not work in that particular building, but it was his custom to visit the cafeteria there. Tragically, this placed him in the path of Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old military veteran working as a contractor, who had entered the building armed with a shotgun and opened fire on the employees inside. In the chaos that ensued, Proctor was fatally shot. The rampage ended when law enforcement officers engaged Alexis in a gun battle, ultimately killing him at the scene.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation later confirmed that Alexis acted alone. Their investigation suggested that he may have been driven by a delusional belief that he was being controlled by electromagnetic waves. In the wake of the tragedy, it was revealed that there had been missed warning signs about Alexis's deteriorating mental health. A subsequent report from the Department of Defense highlighted gaps in their ability to detect and respond to such red flags, prompting promises of reform. For his part, Kenneth Bernard Proctor was laid to rest with honors from his tribe, which performed a traditional ceremony to guide his spirit on its final journey. He was remembered by his family, including his two teenage sons, as a loving, caring, and gentle person.
