Alexander Mikhail Gusev, a 35-year-old man of Belarusian ethnicity, found his American dream end in tragedy on May 31, 2019. He was one of twelve victims fatally shot in a mass shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center. Gusev worked as a Right of Way agent for the city's Public Works department, a position he had held for nine years.
Originally from Mogilev, Belarus, Gusev had moved to the United States exactly sixteen years prior to the day of his death, on May 31, 2003, in
pursuit of a better life. He diligently worked his way through Old Dominion University, earning a Bachelor's degree in Science and Business Management without the burden of student loans. His hard work and success eventually enabled him to bring his mother from Belarus to join him in America.
The perpetrator of the horrific attack was a fellow city employee who had submitted his resignation that same morning. He entered Building No. 2 of the municipal center and began shooting, taking the lives of eleven other city employees and one contractor. Alexander Gusev was among those who lost their lives in the senseless act of violence. The shooter was subsequently killed in a gunfight with police officers at the scene.
Those who knew him described Gusev as an easy-going individual with a wonderful sense of humor. He was an active person who enjoyed playing volleyball and soccer, and had a passion for surfing the ocean waves. He left behind his parents and a twin brother. As the sole person responsible for the shooting was killed at the scene, there were no subsequent arrests or trials.
