CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Authorities in Virginia have identified the six victims who were killed in a shooting at a Walmart store in Chesapeake on Tuesday night.
According to a news release from the city of Chesapeake, the victims were identified as Lorenzo Gamble, 43, of Chesapeake; Brian Pendleton, 38, of Chesapeake; Kellie Pyle, 52, of Chesapeake; Randall Blevins, 70, of Chesapeake; and Tyneka Johnson, 22, of Portsmouth. The sixth victim is a 16-year-old male resident of Chesapeake, the release stated. His name has been withheld because he was a minor.
Earlier Wednesday, Chesapeake police identified the suspected shooter as Andre Bing, 31, of Chesapeake. Police said Bing, an overnight team manager at the store, had one handgun and several magazines at the time of the shooting. Bing has been an employee at the store since 2010, according to WVEC-TV.
The sixth victim is a 16-yo male whose name/photo are being withheld at the time due to him being a minor. More: https://t.co/ZrWbyUFcvM. (2/2)
— City of Chesapeake (@AboutChesapeake) November 23, 2022
The Chesapeake police said that three people, including Bing, were found dead in the store’s breakroom. Another victim died near the front of the store.
“He was just shooting all throughout the room. It didn’t matter who he hit,” Briana Tyler, a Walmart employee, told The Associated Press. “He didn’t say anything. He didn’t look at anybody in any specific type of way.”
The identities of the injured people have also not been released, The Virginian-Pilot reported. Three people were shot and remained hospitalized Wednesday, according to Chesapeake police Detective Dave Weir. Two of the victims were critically injured and one was in good condition, according to the newspaper.
Chesapeake Regional Healthcare officials said they released four people who had been hurt during the shooting, WVEC reported. It was unclear whether those victims were wounded by gunshots or by something else. A hospital spokesperson told the television station that their injuries were minor.
It was unclear how many victims were employees and how many were shoppers, according to The Virginian-Pilot. At least 50 people were believed to be in the store at the time of the shooting.
Joshua Johnson, a former maintenance worker at the Walmart, told CNN that Pendleton trained him when he began working at the store.
“Brian was the type of guy if you ever needed something, he would give you the shirt off his back,” Johnson told the cable news outlet. “He never had any problems with anybody.”
“He was sweet. He was kind,” Shaundrayia Reese, a former Walmart employee, told CNN. “He always looked out for people. He never had a bad bone in his body,” she said.
In a video message on Wednesday, Chesapeake Mayor Rick West said residents will endure the tragedy and will come out “stronger.”
“I know this community and I know it well. And I know that we will come together and lend a helping hand to the victims’ families,” West said. “We’ll share this burden together, and we’ll be stronger for it.”
Chesapeake Mayor Rick West provides these words in the wake of the tragic shooting on November 22, 2022. pic.twitter.com/4GULcH3zyF
— City of Chesapeake (@AboutChesapeake) November 23, 2022
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