Several people died and others were injured after a Walmart manager allegedly opened fire at a store in Virginia, witnesses said.
It happened in the city of Chesapeake, with police called shortly after 10 p.m. local time, spokesman Leo Kosinski said.
“Chesapeake Police confirm an incident involving an active shooter with fatalities at the Walmart on Sam’s Circle. Shooter is deceased,” the City of Chesapeake tweeted.
Image: WAVY-TV 10 via AP
A Walmart uniformed witness, named Kevin Harper, said he left a staff room where the suspect, who he said was a store manager, then entered and opened fire.
“He was wild. He was a manager – one of the managers,” she said in a Facebook Live from the scene.
“Unfortunately, however, we have lost some of our partners, I don’t know how many.”
One woman told WAVY-TV that her brother, a 20-year-old employee, was shot just 10 minutes after arriving at work.
The number of people killed was unclear, but Mr Kosinski said “less than 10, at this time” had died.
Senator Louise Lucas tweeted, “I am absolutely heartbroken that America’s latest mass shooting took place tonight at a Walmart in my precinct in Chesapeake, Virginia.
“I will not stop until we find solutions to end this epidemic of gun violence in our country that has claimed so many lives.”
A number of people were also injured, and Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, in the nearby city of Norfolk, reportedly treated five victims.
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Several killed in Walmart shooting
Mr Kosinski said police believe the shooting occurred inside the shop, but one person was found dead outside the building.
It is not known whether the shooter died of his self-inflicted wounds.
Kosinski added that no shots were fired by police “to his knowledge”.
He added that the shop was very large and that there were many places for people to hide from a shooter.
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The City of Chesapeake Twitter account tweeted, “A family reunification site is set up at the Chesapeake Conference Center (700 Conference Center Drive). This site is only for immediate family members or emergency contact of those who may have been in the building.”
Senator Mark Warner tweeted, “Disgusted by reports of another mass shooting, this time at a Walmart in Chesapeake. I will be monitoring developments closely.”
Walmart Inc said it was “shocked” by the events at its store.
The company tweeted: “We are shocked by this tragic event at our Chesapeake, Virginia store. We are praying for those affected, the community and our associates. We are working closely with law enforcement and are focused on supporting our associates.”
The Chesapeake Walmart is a “supercenter,” which means it sells groceries and other products. There are more than 3,500 Walmart supercenters in the United States.
The Virginia shooting comes three days after a person opened fire at a gay nightclub in Colorado, killing five and wounding 17.
The alleged attacker, who is not binary, was arrested after club patrons confronted and beat them.
There have been 607 mass shootings, defined as involving four or more victims, in America this year.
