Virginia Walmart shooting: Vigil held for victims
Devan Markham and Joe Khalil
2 years ago
(NewsNation ) — Six families are mourning the deaths of their loved ones this Thanksgiving after a gunman opened fire inside a Chesapeake, Virginia, Walmart Tuesday night.
Police said that 31-year-old Andre Bing, an overnight team lead at Walmart, opened fire on his fellow Walmart employees just after 10 p.m. ET and then allegedly shot and killed himself.
The six victims killed were identified as Lorenzo Gamble, Brian Pendleton, Kellie Pyle, Randall Blevins, Tyneka Johnson and a 16-year-old male whose name has not been released.
At least six other victims were transported to local hospitals for further medical treatment.
A local church in Chesapeake hosted a candlelight vigil on Wednesday to pray for those impacted by the mass shooting.
“A few of us can stop on behalf of everyone else and say this is not right. We don’t want this in our community,” said Rev. Mark McKone-Sweet.
“I came out because I hope when the families are able to come out they will see that there’s love, from all of us,” Tracey Barkley, a Chesapeake community member, said.
Chesapeake Police Chief Mark Solesky said Wednesday that the gunman used a pistol in the deadly mass shooting. Later, police said he was armed with one handgun and several magazines.
At the time of the shooting, at least 50 people are believed to have been inside the store.
SWAT teams searched Bing’s home Wednesday. Authorities told NewsNation affiliate WAVY that no additional weapons, nor a motive, were found. However, witnesses believe the attack was planned , saying Bing was laughing during the shooting.
However, one law enforcement source told WAVY that Bing had a manifesto on his phone. The source said the manifesto described how Bing was upset about the recent change in employment status and was being harassed about it by fellow employees.
The attack was the second time in a little more than a week that Virginia experienced a major shooting. Three University of Virginia football players were fatally shot on a charter bus as they returned to campus from a field trip on Nov. 13. Two other students were wounded.
The assault at the Walmart came days after a person opened fire at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs , killing five people and wounding 17.
NewsNation affiliate WAVY and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
This combination of photos provided by the Chesapeake, Va., Police Department shows top from left, Tyneka Johnson, Brian Pendleton and Randy Blevins, and, bottom from left, Kellie Pyle and Lorenzo Gamble, who Chesapeake police identified as victims of a shooting that occurred late Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at a Walmart in Chesapeake. (Chesapeake Police Department via AP) Flowers are placed by a tree outside a Chesapeake, Va. Walmart on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022 where a mass shooting took place the night before. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP) A law enforcement investigator wears a protective covering as they work the scene of a mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) A Walmart employee, center, speaks with law enforcement as they work the scene of a mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The sun rises behind two Virginia State Troopers as law enforcement works the scene of a mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. The store was busy just before the shooting Tuesday night with people stocking up ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Law enforcement work the scene of a mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. The store was busy just before the shooting Tuesday night with people stocking up ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Law enforcement work the scene of a mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. The store was busy just before the shooting Tuesday night with people stocking up ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Chesapeake City Manager Chris Price speaks to reporters after a mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. Police say a shooter opened fire, leaving several people dead. It was the country’s second high-profile mass killing in a handful of days. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Police left tire tracks in the front lawn after they served a search warrant at home of the suspected shooter of a mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. Police say a shooter opened fire in a Walmart in Virginia, leaving six people dead. It was the country’s second high-profile mass killing in a handful of days. The assailant is also dead. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Alicia McDuffie speaks with The Associated Press after police served a search warrant at the home of her neighbor, the suspected shooter of a mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. Police say a shooter opened fire in the store, leaving six people dead. It was the country’s second high-profile mass killing in a handful of days. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Chesapeake Police Chief Mark G. Solesky speaks at a press conference addressing the Walmart shooting at the Chesapeake Public Safety Operations Center on Wednesday Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. Authorities and witnesses say a Walmart manager opened fire on fellow employees in the break room of the store. (Mike Caudill/The Virginian-Pilot via AP) Police wait outside a Walmart in Chesapeake, Va. on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022 where the night before a mass shooting took place. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP) Police wait outside of a Walmart in Chesapeake, Va. on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022 where the night before a mass shooting took place. Authorities and witnesses say a Walmart manager opened fire on fellow employees in the break room of the store. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP) Chesapeake Police Chief Mark G. Solesky, right, and Public Information Officer Leo Kosinski, left, speak at a press conference for the Walmart shooting at the Chesapeake Public Safety Operations Center on Wednesday Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. Authorities and witnesses say a Walmart manager opened fire on fellow employees in the break room of the store. (Mike Caudill/The Virginian-Pilot via AP) Briana Tyler speaks with The Associated Press about witnessing the mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. Tyler said workers had gathered in the break room as they typically did ahead of their shifts.
“I looked up, and my manager just opened the door and he just opened fire,” she told ABC’s “Good Morning America,” adding that “multiple people” dropped to the floor. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Briana Tyler speaks with The Associated Press and uses her hands like a gun as she demonstrates the gunman shooting indiscriminately, as she talks about witnessing the mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. Tyler said the overnight stocking team of about 15 or 20 people had just gotten together in the break room to go over the morning plan. As soon as the team was set to start, she said she looked up, and her manager turned around and opened fire on the staff. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Briana Tyler speaks with The Associated Press about witnessing the mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. Tyler said the overnight stocking team of about 15 or 20 people had just gotten together in the break room to go over the morning plan. As soon as the team was set to start, she said she looked up, and her manager turned around and opened fire on the staff. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) A first responder checks a parked car at the scene of a mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. A Walmart manager opened fire on fellow employees in the break room of the Virginia store, killing several people in the country’s second high-profile mass shooting in four days, police and witnesses said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Shyleana Sausedo-Day, from Portsmouth, Va., places flowers near the scene of a mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. A Walmart manager opened fire on fellow employees in the break room of the Virginia store, killing several people in the country’s second high-profile mass shooting in four days, police and witnesses said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Flowers and balloons have been placed near the scene of a mass shooting at a Walmart, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Chesapeake, Va. A Walmart manager opened fire on fellow employees in the break room of the Virginia store, killing several people in the country’s second high-profile mass shooting in four days, police and witnesses said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) This photo provided by Virginia DMV shows Andre Bing. Bing, a Walmart manager, opened fire on fellow employees in the break room of a Virginia store, killing six people in the country’s second high-profile mass shooting in four days, police and witnesses said Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022. (Virginia DMV/Chesapeake Police via AP) This photo provided by the Chesapeake, Va., Police Department shows Kellie Pyle, who Chesapeake police identified as one of six victims of a shooting that occurred late Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at a Walmart in Chesapeake. (Chesapeake Police Department via AP) This photo provided by the Chesapeake, Va., Police Department shows Randy Blevins, who Chesapeake police identified as one of six victims of a shooting that occurred late Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at a Walmart in Chesapeake. (Chesapeake Police Department via AP) This photo provided by the Chesapeake, Va., Police Department shows Brian Pendleton, who Chesapeake police identified as one of six victims of a shooting that occurred late Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at a Walmart in Chesapeake. (Chesapeake Police Department via AP) This photo provided by the Chesapeake, Va., Police Department shows Lorenzo Gamble, who Chesapeake police identified as one of six victims of a shooting that occurred late Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at a Walmart in Chesapeake. (Chesapeake Police Department via AP) This photo provided by the Chesapeake, Va., Police Department shows Tyneka Johnson, who Chesapeake police identified as one of six victims of a shooting that occurred late Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at a Walmart in Chesapeake. (Chesapeake Police Department via AP)