Scotsman
Police say the person who opened fire at a Walmart store in Virginia was an employee of the retail giant.
The chief of Chesapeake Police Mark G Solesky said the gunman had also killed himself. Six people are dead and four others are being treated in hospital after the incident in Chesapeake.
The store in Chesapeake is now safe and will likely be closed for several days during the investigation, Officer Leo Kosinski said. The gunman had not been named as of Wednesday evening.
One shopper told a local TV station the store was busy just before the shooting on Tuesday night with people stocking up ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in America.
Employee Briana Tyler told ABC’s Good Morning America that workers had gathered in the store’s break room as part of their regular routine ahead of their shifts.
She said: “I looked up, and my manager just opened the door and he just opened fire.” Ms Tyler said “multiple people” dropped to the floor.
“He didn’t say a word, he didn’t say anything at all,” she said. The gunman’s home has been searched. Mr Solesky did not give his name because his family had not yet been notified.
Mayor Rick W West said in a statement posted on the city’s Twitter account: “I am devastated by the senseless act of violence that took place late last night in our city. Chesapeake is a tightknit community and we are all shaken by this news.”
Joetta Jeffery told CNN she received text messages from her mother who was inside the store when the shots were fired. Her mother, Betsy Umphlett, was not injured.
