Topline
The Walmart manager accused of killing six co-workers at a breakroom in Chesapeake, Virginia, Tuesday night purchased the pistol he used just hours before he opened fire and targeted specific workers, according to police reports and a note he left on his phone, as new details emerge about the suspected assailant.
The man suspected of killing six at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, was a “disgruntled” employee … [+]
Key Facts
The man suspected of killing six before fatally shooting himself, legally purchased a 9-millimeter pistol from a local store Tuesday morning—the same day he carried out the attack, local officials said in a statement Friday morning.
Police have identified the suspected shooter as 31-year-old Andre Bing, a man with no criminal history who, according to Chesapeake Mayor Rick West, was a “disgruntled employee” at the store.
After an investigation of the suspect’s home, officials also found a box of ammunition, as well as the box and receipt the handgun came with.
In a note he left on his phone—which police released Friday morning—Bing said he planned to spare an unnamed employee before writing, “My God forgive me for what I’m going to do.”
Bing also wrote his “true intent was never to murder anyone believe it or not,” before saying, “Sorry everyone but I did not plan this I promise things just fell in place like I was led by the Satan.”
Crucial Quote
“The devastating news of last night’s shooting at our Chesapeake, VA store at the hands of one of our associates has hit our Walmart family hard,” Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon said in a LinkedIn post. John Furner, the company’s CEO, said: “This one is especially painful as we have learned the gunman was a Walmart associate.”
Key Background
Bing carried out the attack shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday night, before shooting himself, according to police. Speaking at a press conference in the aftermath of the shooting, Chesapeake police chief Mark Solesky confirmed the shooter was a store employee, while two store employees identified him as a manager. The attack has been condemned by local and state officials, as well as President Joe Biden, who said on Wednesday, “there are now even more tables across the country that will have empty seats this Thanksgiving.” It’s the latest mass shooting in the U.S. this year, and the second high-profile one in less than a week, following the attack on a LGBTQ night club in Colorado Springs on Saturday that killed five and injured more than two dozen.
Further Reading
Suspected Assailant In Chesapeake Walmart Shooting Worked At The Store, Police Say (Forbes)
Coworkers say Walmart shooter had exhibited odd and threatening behavior in the past (CNN)
Walmart Gunman Bought a Pistol to Kill Co-Workers and Left a ‘Death Note’ (New York Times)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/11/25/suspected-virginia-walmart-shooter-bought-pistol-hours-before-killing-6-employees-heres-what-we-know-about-the-gunman/