NAVFAC Supervisor, Contract Guard Are Among Navy Yard Shooting Victims

A Naval Facilities Engineering Command employee and a NAVFAC contract security guard were among the 12 people killed in the Sept. 16 shootings at the Washington Navy Yard, according to NAVFAC statements on its Facebook page.

Kenneth "Kenny" Proctor, 46, of Waldorf, Md., a NAVFAC utilities plant supervisor, was working in the central heating plant behind the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters (NAVSEA) and was shot in the alley between those buildings, NAVFAC said in a Sept. 17 Facebook posting.

Proctor joined NAVFAC's Washington. D.C. region in 2003 as an electrician helper and boiler operator in its Public Works Dept. As the supervisory utility systems repair operator, Proctor directed operations and maintenance of boilers and auxiliary equipment. In all, he worked for the federal government for 22 years, according to NAVFAC.

Capt. Antonio Edmonds, NAVFAC Washington commanding officer, said in a Sept. 20 Facebook posting, "He was the kind of guy that everyone liked to work around and to have as a leader."

Edmonds added, "He took care of his folks and helped them take care of our vital utilities system. He was a dedicated civil servant and will be sorely missed."

NAVFAC Washington is one of the agency's 11 facilities and engineering commands that are aligned with Navy regions, says spokeswoman Virginia Bueno.

Richard Michael Ridgell, 52, of Brooklyn Park, Md., a security guard, was at the entrance turnstiles at the NAVSEA building, where the shootings occurred. Ridgell, known as Mike, worked for HBC Management Services Inc./the Hana Group Inc. as a contractor for NAVFAC Washington.

Before working at the Navy Yard, Ridgell did contract security work overseas. Earlier, he was a trooper with the Maryland State Police.

Proctor is survived by two sons, Kenneth Proctor Jr., and Kendull Proctor, and by his ex-wife, Evelyn Proctor, NAVFAC said. Ridgell is survived by his wife, Tracey, and daughters Heather, Megan and Maddi.

Edmonds said, "These men, and the others lost on [Sept. 16], gave their lives in service to their country."

Bueno said NAVFAC has about 600 headquarters and NAVFAC Washington personnel at the Navy Yard, which is in southwest Washington, D.C. NAVFAC's building is located near the NAVSEA building.

Tom Ichniowski has been writing about the federal government as ENR’s Washington Bureau Chief since the George H.W. Bush administration, and he has covered at least five major highway bills. A recognized expert on government policy on infrastructure and regulation, Tom is also a Baltimore native and Orioles fan who grew up rooting for Brooks and Frank Robinson. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia’s graduate school of journalism, where he once used “unrelentless” in a headline.

Post a comment to this article

60% of workers are exposed to heights greater than 5 ft daily, and workers' compensation from injury is more than $7B - it's time for construction leaders to take measures to reduce risk and create a safer work environment. We'll explore how technology can improve construction site safety and help prevent accidents before they happen.