Man Suspected of Killing Six at Virginia Walmart Was an Employee

From the Wall Street Journal -

NATHAN HOWARD/GETTY IMAGES

CHESAPEAKE, Va.—A gunman killed six people and left six others injured Tuesday night November 22, 2022 at a Walmart here in the middle of the holiday shopping season, the latest violent attack as Americans prepared to gather for Thanksgiving Day.

A Walmart overnight manager allegedly opened fire at the Chesapeake store where he worked, less than an hour before it was set to close, and then fatally shot himself, Chesapeake Police Chief Mark G. Solesky said Wednesday morning. The suspect, who was armed with a handgun and multiple ammunition magazines, was dead when the police arrived, according to city officials.

Police said at least 50 people were inside the store. The episode happened during a busy Thanksgiving shopping week at a Walmart Supercenter, a store that sells everything from groceries to clothes and small appliances, about 5 miles south of Norfolk, Va. The shooter and two victims were found dead in the store’s break room, city officials said on Twitter. Another person was found dead near the front of the Walmart. Three other victims died at local hospitals.

Yellow crime-scene tape surrounded the storefront as a handful of police cars still flashed their lights early Wednesday evening. A memorial—including one bearing the name of one of the victims, Tyneka Johnson—sat near a bouquet of roses in the store’s parking lot. Four bystanders stood praying for the victims and their families, including Deirdre Blumenthal, 42 years old, of Chesapeake. “We felt a prompting in our hearts to come over here and pray for them,” Ms. Blumenthal said.

Authorities identified the gunman as Andre Bing, 31, of Chesapeake. A city SWAT team executed a search warrant at the gunman’s home, the police said.

An FBI search happening at the home of the suspected gunman on Wednesday.

The alleged gunman worked at Walmart since 2010, a Walmart spokesman said in a statement. “At this time, we do not have any reason to believe there is a continued threat to our Chesapeake store or any other Walmart facility,” the company said in a memo to employees. The store was set to be closed for several days, city officials said. Chesapeake officials said they didn’t know the shooter’s motive and that he had acted alone.