Crime & Safety

Updated: Washington Navy Yard Shooting: The Victims

Victims of Navy Yard shooting who had Virginia ties.

By Todd Richissin, Mary Stachyra Lopez, Sherell Williams, Karen Goff and Jason Spencer

Among the 12 victims of Monday's shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard are at least five from Northern Virginia and another with ties to the area. 

Gerald L. Read, Lived in Mount Vernon

Find out what's happening in Annandalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Gerald Read and his wife Cathy spent many of their days tending to their three labradors, Irish Setter and one cat. The couple, married for 35 years, also started up a small dog-walking business — Biscuit Break Pet Service.

"We've always had cats and dogs; we did lab rescue for a long time," Cathy Read said while sitting in her home in a quiet Mount Vernon neighborhood.

Find out what's happening in Annandalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We've always been animal lovers," she said. "As you get older, we were home more."

When Gerald Read wasn't busy at his job as a project manager in information assurance at the Navy Yard, he enjoyed walking the dogs, taking them to the dog park and training some of them in agility. A black lab, Rod, was his favorite.

Born in a small town, Clearfield, Penn., Gerald met his future wife when he was in college and she was in her senior year of high school.

"I always thought he was good looking," Cathy Read recalled.

Gerald Read spent more than 25 years in the military, served in the military police and did a tour in Korea, his wife said. The two had a daughter, and they eventually settled down in Mount Vernon where the couple lived for 18 years. He went on to work at the Navy Yard, and at 58, had no thoughts of retiring yet, Cathy Read said.

"He loved his work," she said.

Martin Bodrog, Lived in Annandale

Annandale resident Martin Bodrog, 54, was identified Tuesday as one of at least 12 victims in the Navy Yard shooting.

Bodrog was a commander and senior analyst with the U.S. Navy, according to his  LinkedIn profile. Bodrog attended Audubon High School in New Jersey where he was a member of the football and wrestling teams and the Honor Society, according to the high school's Flickr account of famous alumni. He graduated from Audubon in 1977 and later attended the U.S. Naval Academy.

He and his wife Melanie moved to Annandale's Oak Hill community in 1999.

Bodrog's family declined to speak with reporters. However, Fairfax County Supervisor John Cook's office issued the following statement Tuesday.

“Yesterday’s violence affected all of us deeply, even before we knew it had hit so terribly close to home. I didn’t know Martin Bodrog personally, but already my office has been contacted with stories about how active and engaged Martin was in his Oak Hill community," said Cook.

"I am terribly saddened that this needless violence has taken Martin from his family. I hope all residents of Fairfax County will pray for his family and the families of all those affected at the Navy Yard yesterday."

Mary Francis Knight, Lived in Reston

Mary Francis Knight, 51, was among the 13 fatalities at a shooting at the Navy Yard on Monday, authorities said.

Knight had a long career in cybersecurity and was an adjunct professor of information technology at Northern Virginia Community College, the school confirmed on Tuesday.

Knight, formerly Mary DeLorenzo, originally hailed from Fayetteville, N.C., and moved to the area about five years ago, family members told WITN in Fayetteville. She was the mother of two daughters.

"She was a great patriot who loved her country and loved serving the USA," family spokesman Theodore Hisey told WITN.

According to Knight's Linkedin profile, she had begun a new position with Naval Sea Systems Command earlier this month. She has worked at the command since 2009.

Knight had a bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems from Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., and a master's degree in Computer Resources and Information Management from Webster University in Missouri, her profile states.

Michael Arnold, Lived in Lorton

Michael Arnold, a 59-year-old Navy veteran from Lorton, was among the 12 victims of Monday's mass shooting, according to news reports.

Arnold graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Navy for 29 years before retiring as a captain last year, according to the Navy Supply Corps Newsletter

His uncle, Steve Hunter, told the Associated Press that Arnold had been working at the Navy Yard on a team that designed amphibious assault ships.

Hunter said his nephew was also an avid pilot who was building a light airplane.

“It would have been the first plane he ever owned,” Hunter told the AP from Rochester, Mich., Arnold’s hometown. “It’s partially assembled in his basement.”

Arnold and his wife, Jolanda, had been married for more than 30 years and had two grown sons, Hunter told the AP.

“He was a loving son of his mother and his wife, and great father to his kids,” Hunter said. “It’s tragic. How can you get up in the morning and go to work and have that happen? How do bad things like that happen to good people?”

Kathleen Gaarde, Lived in Prince William County

Kathleen Gaarde, 62, a financial analyst who lived in the Lake Ridge area of Prince William County, was among the 12 victims of the gunman who went on a shooting rampage Monday at Washington Navy Yard, according to news reports.

Patrick Bolton, a neighbor, told the Washington Post that Gaarde was an avid Washington Capitals fan who raised two children and a dog in a modest home. 

“She just helped make it a good home for her family and worked hard and provided everything her family could need,” Bolton told the Post. “They’re the kind of people you want to live next door to you.

“The mother was just the kindest lady in the world,” Bolton said. “I’m not even exaggerating. I’ve never seen her do anything but nice things for people.”

In an email to the Associated Press, Gaarde’s husband, Douglass, wrote: “Today my life partner of 42 years (38 of them married) was taken from me, my grown son and daughter, and friends. We were just starting to plan our retirement activities and now none of that matters. It hasn’t fully sunk in yet but I know I already dearly miss her.”

A relative told the AP that Douglass Gaarde worked for the Navy until his retirement last year.

Arthur Daniels, Worked for Arlington Company

A man who worked for District Furniture Repair in Arlington was one of the victims Monday in the Navy Yard shootings, according to an account in the Washington Post. 

Arthur Daniels, 51, relocated and installed furniture in federal buildings. The grandfather of nine was shot in the back after he and a colleague were running away from the gunman and trying to escape on an elevator, according to the Post.

“I don’t know why they shot him,” his wife Priscilla told the newspaper. “He was a good father and hard worker.” She last saw her husband at about 6:30 a.m., about two hours before the reported gunman, Aaron Alexis, opened fire killing 12 people.

Arthur Daniels was a resident of Southeast Washington, according to the Metropolitan Police Department

He was the father of five children.

Daniels reportedly worked at the Navy Yard for the past 19 years.

This article has been updated.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.