Six people killed in shooting at Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia

Six people were killed when a gunman opened fire at a Walmart store in southern Virginia late on Tuesday, in the latest mass shooting to strike the US, this time shortly before the Thanksgiving holiday. The gunman killed himself, police said.

A witness, Jessie Wilczewski, told a local TV station, WAVY, the gunman began shooting at a group of about 14 employees gathered in a meeting room at the start of their shift in the store, located in the city of Chesapeake.

Wilczewski, who was on her fifth day at the store, said the shooter was a manager who targeted other managers, firing from left to right and at one point laughing.

Briana Tyler, another employee, told ABC workers were gathered as part of their regular routine ahead of their shifts.

On Wednesday, the city of Chesapeake identified the gunman as Andre Bing, 31, and said he was armed with a handgun and multiple magazines. Three people including Bing were found dead in the break room while one deceased victim was discovered near the front of the store, according to the city. Three people died of wounds at the hospital and another six were hospitalized, one in critical condition, the city said.

The police chief, Mark Solesky, said Bing died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Indeed, the carnage has continued since Biden signed the gun violence bill in June. On Saturday, a person opened fire at a gay nightclub in Colorado, killing five people and wounding 17. Last week, a former University of Virginia football player allegedly shot three team members to death on a bus and wounded two others.

This year has been a bad one for mass shootings. There have been 40 mass killings in 2022, second to 45 in 2019, according to a database run by the Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University that tracks such events dating back to 2006. The project defines a mass killing as at least four people killed, not including the killer.

Another family member, Joetta Jeffery, told CNN she received text messages from her mother who was in the store during the shooting. Her mother, Betsy Umphlett, was not injured.

A television station, 13News Now, said a Target store was evacuated after reports emerged of an armed person which turned out to be untrue.

In addition to local police, federal agencies including the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the shooting. The city of Chesapeake said the local FBI office had set up a tip line for information, 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Youngkin ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-staff until Sunday. The White House said Biden spoke by phone with the governor on Wednesday and offered further federal assistance.