Walmart Shooter Had ‘Personal Vendetta’ Against Employees, New $50 Million Lawsuit Claims
A survivor of the mass shooting at the Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the retail company over the shooter’s continued employment at the store, despite numerous complaints about his “bizarre and threatening behavior.”
The lawsuit, obtained by Rolling Stone, was filed by Donya Prioleau, who started working as an overnight stocker and trainer at the Chesapeake store in May 2021 and was there the night of the shooting, Nov. 22 (she was unharmed, except for injuring her knee after falling while trying to flee). The shooter, Andre Bing — who killed six people before shooting himself and dying at the scene — was a team lead at Walmart and managed the overnight stocking crew, including Prioleau.
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According to the suit, Bing “demonstrated a pattern of disturbing behavior leading up to the shooting, which Walmart knew, or should have know.” Prioleau detailed several alleged interactions she had with Bing, during which he allegedly asked if he could “borrow her hair” and if “she liked guns.”
Additionally, the suit claims that before the shooting, Bing “repeatedly asked coworkers if they had received their active shooter training. When coworkers responded that they had, Mr. Bing just smiled and walked away without saying anything.”
After claiming that Bing “had a personal vendetta against several Walmart employees and kept a ‘kill list’ of potential targets,” Prioleau’s lawsuit notes that law enforcement searched Bing’s cellphone and found “a manifesto” that named several Walmart employees “as targets due to issues [Bing] had with them.”
In a statement, Prioleau’s lawyers, John Morgan and Peter Anderson, said, “While the cruelty of murdering six defenseless people is truly unimaginable, Ms. Prioleau alleges that she and her coworkers had been concerned for months that such an incident could occur at any time. Our client alleges Walmart acknowledged her written complaint alleging harassment, but continued to employ the perpetrator. As workplace shootings and violence become horrifyingly common, employers have a responsibility to understand the warning signs and take threats seriously in order to protect their employees and customers. Our hearts are broken for the families of those who lost loved ones and for those, like Ms. Prioleau, whose lives will never be the same because of this trauma. We will work to hold Walmart accountable for failing to stop this tragedy.”
A rep for Walmart said, “The entire Walmart family is heartbroken by the loss of the valued members of our team. Our deepest sympathies go out to our associates and everyone impacted, including those who were injured. We are focused on supporting all our associates with significant resources, including counseling. We are reviewing the Complaint and will be responding as appropriate with the court.”
According to Prioleau’s suit, Bing “had been disciplined” on various occasions during his employment at Walmart and had even once been demoted “for his improper and disturbing interactions” (he was eventually “reinstated as team lead”). On Sept. 10, Prioleau filed an official complaint about Bing, saying he asked her inappropriate questions about her age, like, “Isn’t your lady clock ticking? Shouldn’t you be having kids?” Prioleau also said Bing “had harassed her for being poor and being short,” and that he once called her a “bitch” under his breath.
On top of the complaint, Prioleau’s mother spoke with Chesapeake store manager Allysia Mixon because she was “concerned for her daughter’s safety.” Mixon reportedly told Prioleau and her mother that nothing could be done about Bing “because he was liked by management.”
According to the suit, it wasn’t just Prioleau who was raising concerns either. It alleges that Walmart’s management had received “numerous reports that Mr. Bing was bullying, threatening, and harassing other employees” and “acting inappropriately, bizarrely, and dangerously.”
Other alleged instances outlined in the suit include Bing telling store employees, including managers, that “if he was ever fired, he would retaliate and ‘people will remember my name.’” Bing also allegedly told his coworkers once that “he ran over a turtle with a lawnmower just to see its guys spray out, which made him hungry and reminded him of ramen noodles.”
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