Virginia Walmart Manager Kills Employees, Self in Mass Shooting

Chesapeake, VA (WorkersCompensation.com) - A night manager for Walmart entered a Virginia store and opened fire Tuesday night, officials said, killing six and injuring several more. 

All six of the victims were employees, a report from CNN said. Police in Chesapeake, Va.,  identified five of the victims in a news release - Lorenzo Gamble; Brian Pendleton; Kellie Pyle; Randall Blevins; and Tyneka Johnson. A sixth victim was not identified due to his age. He was 16 years old. 

Chesapeake police said Andre Bing, 31, entered the store at shift changes armed with a handgun and multiple ammunition magazines. Walmart said in a statement that Bing as an "overnight team lead" and had been employed by the company since 2010. 

Police said Bing entered the building and headed to the employee break room where he opened fire. Officially, Bing's rampage started around 10:12 p.m. about an hour before the store was set to close. 

Kevin Harper, a Walmart employee, posted in a Facebook Live video that he had just left the breakroom when Bing entered it. 

“I just left out the breakroom … (the gunman) starts cappin’ people up in there,” Harper said in his video. The video is no longer available on  “He came in there and just started spraying."

In addition to the fatalities, police said at least six people were injured and transported to nearby hospitals. Victims were located in the store, most of the deceased were located in the break room, the city tweeted. 

“Three individuals, including the shooter, were located deceased in the break room of the store,” the city of Chesapeake tweeted. “One victim was located deceased toward the front of the store. Three other victims were transported to local hospitals for further treatment, but succumbed to their injuries.”

The city also offered up prayers for those affected. 

“The City of Chesapeake has always been known as the ‘City That Cares’ and now, more than ever, we know our City will show up and care for those who need it most,” the city said in a release. “Please join us in praying for the family and friends of these community members who we have lost.”

Walmart also released a statement about the shooting. 

John Furner, Walmart US’ president and CEO, said was especially tragic because the assailant was an employee.

“We feel tragedies like this personally and deeply. But this one is especially painful as we have learned the gunman was a Walmart associate,” Furner said in a statement. “The entire Walmart family is heartbroken. Our hearts and prayers are with those impacted, and we are grateful for the actions of first responders.”

Other employees at the Walmart said that Big had recently started acting stranger than normal. 

Briana Tyler told ABC News she was in the break room when Bing walked in and started shooting. She and other coworkers were getting ready to work, she said. 

“As soon as my team lead said, ‘All right, guys, we have a light night tonight,’ I looked up and my manager just opened the door and he just opened fire,” Tyler told the station. “He wasn’t aiming at anybody specifically. He just started shooting throughout the entire break room.”

She described the gunman as a manager she'd been warned to "look out for because there was always something going on with him." 

Officials said Bing turned the gun on himself and died after the attack. 

The shooting is the second mass shooting at a workplace in a week. This weekend, five people, including two bartenders, were killed at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Col. when a 22-year-old gunman opened fire at the club. Another 19 were injured, officials said. 

According to Statistica, the U.S. has seen more than 49 mass shootings at work places since 1982, including a Walmart shooting in El Paso, Texas that killed 22 and injured 26. Since 2021, the U.S. has seen nine mass shootings at workplaces including four this year - the Buffalo supermarket massacre where 10 died, the Tulsa medical building shooting where four died, the Smithsburg, Md. shooting where 3 died, and the Greenwood Park Mall shooting where three also died. 

This year has also seen a number of workplace shootings where managers have shot their employees. On Nov. 9, a Harrison, Penn. Taco Bell manager shot an employee after a fight. Officials said Zairyre Simmons, 23, of Pittsburgh got into an argument with Dorian Carver, 32, of Harrison while the two were at work. Simmons then followed Carver to a nearby business where he shot him. Officials said Carver was killed at the scene. 

In January, a Starkville, Miss. McDonald's manager and one of his employees got into a fight at work. Manager Kevan Lawrence then shot the employee in the leg. He was ultimately charged with aggravated assault. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recommends that businesses come up with an active shooter plan and practice it in order to protect employees. Additionally, the department said, employees and HR professionals should keep tabs on their colleagues and make mental health a priority - including checking in with people and recognizing and acting upon red flags. 

"Fostering a respectful workplace" is one of DHS' top items on its prevention list.

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