Six People Dead After Mass Shooting at Virginia Walmart
Seven people, including the shooter, are dead after a mass shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, Tuesday night, Nov. 22, The Associated Press reports.
The city of Chesapeake confirmed that the shooter is dead, citing police, in a Twitter post: “Chesapeake Police confirm an active shooter incident with fatalities at the Walmart on Sam’s Circle. The shooter is deceased.” In the post, the city stated, “Our first responders are well-trained and prepared to respond; please give them space to do so.”
More from Rolling Stone
Trump's Ex-Lawyer Says Colorado Victims Reaping Consequences of 'Eternal Damnation'
The Colorado Springs Shooting Happened in a 'Second Amendment Sanctuary'
Army Veteran Went into 'Combat Mode' to Disarm Gunman at Colorado LGBTQ Club
Chesapeake Police Chief Mark G. Solesky said Thursday that the suspect, identified as Andre Bing, shot himself and died at the scene prior to police’s arrival Tuesday. Investigators also revealed that the shooter was a manager at the Walmart store, and that the shooting occurred in an employee break room at around 10:12 p.m.
Walmart said in a statement that Bing was an overnight team leader and had been with the company since 2010.
“I looked up, and my manager just opened the door and he just opened fire,” employee Briana Tyler told Good Morning America. “He didn’t say a word, he didn’t say anything at all.” Tyler added that the manager also “looked directly at me but luckily he missed my head by an inch or two.”
The shooting inside the Walmart was reported to police shortly after 10 p.m., Chesapeake Police Department spokesperson Leo Kosinski told reporters Tuesday night. He added that “multiple fatalities and multiple injured” individuals were found inside the store when officers entered.
He also stated that investigators did not know if the shooter was shot by police or whether he had died by suicide. He said that at the time, it is not clear if any of the victims or shooter were employees, according to NBC.
A spokesperson for Walmart, told Rolling Stone in a statement: “We are shocked at this tragic event at our Chesapeake, Virginia store. We’re praying for those impacted, the community and our associates. We’re working closely with law enforcement, and we are focused on supporting our associates.”
“I’m crying, I’m shaking,” Joetta Jeffery told CNN. Her mother, Betsy Umphlett, sent her texts from inside the store during the shooting. “I had just talked to her about buying turkeys for Thanksgiving, then this text came in,” said Jeffery, who was reunited with her mother.
A family reunification site has been provided at the Chesapeake Conference Center. It is intended only for immediate family members or the emergency contact of individuals who may have been in the building.
The shooting is at least the second mass shooting in the country in less than a week. This past Saturday, at least five people were killed in a shooting at a LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs.
This story was updated 11/23/22 at 8:23 a.m. with the number of confirmed dead, and again at 12 p.m. with details regarding the suspect and eyewitness testimony.
Best of Rolling Stone
