‘Just heartbroken’: City identifies victims in deadly Va. Walmart mass shooting
Chesapeake police say the alleged shooter is a Walmart employee
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WWBT) - New details have emerged after a shooting at a Chesapeake Walmart left six people dead and several others injured just two days before Thanksgiving.
During a press conference on Wednesday morning, Chesapeake Police say they received a 911 call shortly for reports of a shooting just after 10 p.m.
“The first officers arrived on scene within two minutes at 10:14 p.m. and entered the store two minutes later,” said Chesapeake Police Chief Mark Solesky.
Witnesses told police that the store was busy at the time, being two days before the holiday. In an update Friday afternoon, Chesapeake officials estimated there were around 50 people inside the store when shots were fired.
Chesapeake Police Chief Mark Solesky confirmed that six people were shot and killed inside the store. Two other victims are currently battling critical injuries, according to the Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
Police identified five of the six people shot as Lorenzo Gamble, Brian Pendleton, Kellie Pyle, Randall Blevins and Tyneka Johnson. The sixth victim is a 16-year-old male Chesapeake resident whose name and photo are being withheld at the time due to him being a minor.
Solesky says the shooter was a manager at Walmart. He reportedly walked into the breakroom just as the night shift was beginning and opened fire. Police confirm the shooter was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On Wednesday, community members gathered in front of Walmart to hold prayer groups to honor the six victims who were shot and killed inside the store.
Outside the store, a memorial was made to honor the shooting victims. On the memorial, a heart with Tyneka Johnson’s name was placed next to flowers.
Shyleana Sausedo-Day stopped by the Walmart to drop off a wreath she made for the memorial.
“This is, I mean, one of my local Walmarts. It’s one of the bigger ones, and so no matter where you’re at, you kinda end up at this Walmart,” she said. “ I was just here the other day, just getting something really quick and everything, and I just wanted to bring something to help the souls that were lost here, you know, something to help purify it.”
Francisco DeLeon also went by the scene of the mass shooting on Wednesday morning to pay his respects.
“It was terrible. I was here two nights ago and just heartbroken,” he said. “I just hope to God one day that one day, this won’t happen ever again. It sucks.”
Walmart released a statement following the shooting and confirmed the shooter was “team lead” 31-year-old Andre Bing. The company says Bing had been employed at the store since 2010.
The statement from the Walmart spokesperson reads:
While details of the tragic incident in our Chesapeake, Virginia, store are still emerging, authorities have confirmed multiple fatalities. We are focused on doing everything we can to support our associates and their families at this time. The alleged shooter has been identified as Andre Bing. We can confirm that he was a Walmart associate. Andre’s position with the company was overnight team lead, and he’s been employed with us since 2010. We are thankful for the local first responders and will continue to work with local law enforcement as they continue their investigation.
On Wednesday, several law enforcement agencies were on the scene collecting evidence and piecing together what unfolded inside the Walmart.
During a press conference on Wednesday, authorities said Chesapeake SWAT also conducted a search warrant of Bing’s home. Officials are still looking into Bing’s background and what his potential motive could be for this shooting.
The Walmart will be closed for several days as detectives continue their investigation.
The FBI in Norfolk has set up a tipline to gather more information about this deadly shooting. Anyone with information can call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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