Gunman who killed 6 at Virginia Walmart was store employee; victims’ names released

Key updates

The man who walked into an employee break room at a Virginia Walmart and opened fire late Tuesday worked at the store, Chesapeake police said at a news conference Wednesday. Police and Walmart later identified the gunman as 31-year-old Andre M. Bing, a supervisor with the overnight team who joined the company in 2010.

Six victims died in the attack, along with the shooter. At least six others were wounded and transported to hospitals, authorities said.

At least 50 people were in the store at the time of the incident, some doing last-minute Thanksgiving shopping and others working an overnight shift for the giant chain. The shooting came days after a man fatally shot five people at a Colorado LGBTQ club deemed a haven for its community and less than two weeks after a 22-year-old University of Virginia student killed three students during a school trip.

Gunman walked into break room and shot colleagues, Walmart employee says

Shooting took place in a commercial hub of Chesapeake

Youngkin, other officials express sorrow for Chesapeake shooting victims

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Authorities released the names of the five adult victims: Lorenzo Gamble, Brian Pendleton, Kellie Pyle, Randall Blevins and Tyneka Johnson. The sixth victim is a 16-year-old boy whose name is currently being withheld because he is a minor.

Police said the gunman, whose neighbors said he kept to himself, used a pistol in the rampage and apparently died of a “self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

“What happened last night was awful to see,” a Walmart employee who witnessed Bing shooting at least three colleagues told The Washington Post.

The Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI’s Norfolk office said they would assist Chesapeake police with the investigation.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) ordered all U.S. and commonwealth flags in local, state and federal buildings to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims. He declined to discuss gun reform when pressed by reporters at a later event on Wednesday, saying now is not the time because the investigation is ongoing.

Read a full recap of our coverage from Wednesday here.

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