‘I had to be there;’ Chesapeake mayor reflects on Walmart mass shooting
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Today, we remember the tragedy that occurred one year ago, and forever changed Hampton Roads.
Six Walmart employees were gunned down and killed by a disgruntled supervisor in the store, and even more were injured. The mass shooting was at the Chesapeake Walmart Supercenter on Sam’s circle off Battlefield Boulevard.
In 2022, the FBI reported 50 “active shooter” incidents, according to their report. The FBI defines active shooter as “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.” Thirteen of those 2022 incidents reached a “mass shooting” definition of three or more people killed in one incident, including the one in Chesapeake.
In grief, the community found a way to move forward after the tragedy.
Previous Coverage: One year later: Chesapeake Walmart to close early on mass shooting date
“I’m thinking we have come a long way from a really bad incident,” Chesapeake Mayor Rick West told 10 On Your Side, in the Chesapeake Walmart Supercenter parking lot.
West said he remembered that horrific day one year ago. He was in bed, sick from COVID-19, when he got the news, he said.
“I was always keenly aware that any day this could happen,” West said.
As a high school principal, West said knew it could happen because of the several ongoing issues in the country.
“Think about it,” West said. “Mental health, the evil that is in the world, access to guns for people with mental [health] issues.”
West said Chesapeake’s one of the safest cities, and yet he was always on guard.
“I am … going to a meeting thinking what could happen?” West said. “How can I be prepared to react? How can you not be scared? It was pretty bad — it was evil.”
The city of Chesapeake responded by instinct, and followed the White House Guide on how to handle a mass shooting.
“We unknowingly followed every suggestion they had just by instincts,” West said. “It was like we were checking off every point.”
West said he also felt he needed to be in attendance, and had an obligation to be there. West went to five of the six funerals, but said he thinks one family chose not to have one.
“Funerals give you, kind of, an inside look of family relationships,” West said. “Some of them were great, and some of them not so great, to be honest with you.”
The six people killed were: Brian Pendleton, Kellie Pyle, Lorenzo Gamble, Randy Blevins, Tyneka Johnson and Fernando Chavez-Barron.
The mayor lost his own brother two years ago, and the loss of those in the mass shooting made him reflect on his own loss.
“No day goes by when I don’t think of him in some way,” West said. “I was observing [the families of the victims’] grief, and it brought back my grief.”
When the Walmart reopened, West was there at the ribbon cutting, and said he noticed a change in the Walmart employees.
“It seems like the employees inside, they have more bounce, a little more appreciation, a little bit more service oriented,” West said.
West also said Walmart listened to complaints about the parking lot being so dark and seemed unsafe. Walmart came in and put in new lights to brighten up the parking lot, West said.
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