An employee at a Walmart in Virginia opened gunfire inside the store, killing 6 people before committing suicide.
The shooter was an employee, possibly a manager, who entered a break room in the department store in Chesapeake, VA, Tuesday night, a law enforcement source told ABC News. He reportedly opened fire on other workers before turning the gun on himself.
Chesapeake Police Chief Mark Solesky said the gunman is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but his identity has not been released because his next of kin has not been notified.
Solesky confirmed the shooter used a handgun to take his own life. Detectives executed search warrants at the man’s home.
At least 4 others are now being treated for injuries at local hospitals. Their conditions are not known.
Investigators were sweeping the store overnight into Wednesday to search for victims or people who may have been hiding, Chesapeake Police spokesperson Leo Kosinski told CNN earlier.
Officers responded to the Walmart around 10:12 p.m. – less than an hour before it was set to close – and found victims and evidence of a shooting, Kosinski said.
U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) tweeted about the bloodshed … “Sickened by reports of yet another mass shooting, this time at a Walmart in Chesapeake. I’ll be monitoring developments closely.”
The shooting, which came two days ahead of Thanksgiving as customers were doing last-minute shopping, is yet another instance of how gun violence erupts in American life in places traditionally seen as safe, from schools to stores and even hospitals.
