On Tuesday, November 22nd, a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia was the scene of yet another mass shooting. The shooting resulted in the injuries of four people and left seven dead, including the shooter who died from a self-inflicted wound. The incident occurred around 10 pm on Tuesday night on what was described as a busy night by authorities and witnesses.
According to Chief Mark Solesky of the Chesapeake Police Department, the shooter acted alone and was identified as Andre Bing, the Walmart store manger. Bing, 31, has been working for the company for 12 years. Authorities are working to determine the motive for the crime.
Donya Prioleau, an employee of the Walmart store that was attacked, indicated that the people shot were her fellow staff members. “Our manager came in our breakroom and shot half of friends and coworkers in front of us, without saying anything,” she wrote on Facebook. Kevin Harper, another staff member at the Walmart store told ABC News that he felt that something was not right and left the breakroom in which the shooting took place. He said he heard gunshots erupt a few minutes after that.
The six Chesapeake residents that were killed by Bing were Randy Blevins, 70; Lorenzo Gamble, 43; Tyneka Johnson, 22; Brian Pendleton, 38; Kellie Pyle, 52; and Fernando Chavez-Barron, 16.
Chavez-Barron, the youngest victim, had just started working at Walmart, using his first paycheck to buy a gift for his monther for thanksgiving two days prior to being gunned down in his job’s breakroom during his shift by his store manager.
“We are shocked at this tragic event at our Chesapeake, Virginia store,” Walmart tweeted early Wednesday, November 23. “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.”
“Sickened by reports of yet another mass shooting, this time at a Walmart in Chesapeake. I’ll be monitoring developments closely. In the meantime, I urge all those in the community to listen to guidance from local law enforcement and stay away from the scene,” tweeted Virginia Senator Mark Warner.
The shooting took place two days before Thanksgiving day, and three days before Black Friday, one of the largest days for sales and retail stores such as Walmart.
The shooting once again shines the spotlight on the concerning issue of regular mass shootings and gun control in the U.S. This shooting took place three days after the shooting that took place at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs and a week after another shooting in Charlottesville, Virginia. More than 600 mass shootings have occurred in the U.S. this year, with a mass shooting described as “an incident in which four or more people are shot or killed, not including the shooter” by The Gun Violence Archive.
