Six killed after Walmart manager opens fire on staff in Virginia store
Joe Biden on Wednesday night called for renewed action on gun control after America's latest mass shooting left at least six victims dead at a Walmart store in Virginia.
A manager at the store opened fire on fellow employees in a break room as they were gathering to start their shifts on Tuesday night.
Officials later identified the gunman as Andre Bing, 31. Walmart said he was an overnight team leader, and had been with the company since 2010.
The gunman laughed during the attack, a survivor told local television. Jessie Wilczewski, who was on her fifth shift, said he appeared to target other managers. He saw her hiding under a table, and told her to "go home".
It came as America was preparing to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.
Mr Biden said: "Because of yet another horrific and senseless act of violence, there are now even more tables across the country that will have empty seats this Thanksgiving.
"We must come together as a nation. We must take greater action."
The shooting happened in Chesapeake, Virginia, a city of 250,000 people 150 miles south-east of Washington.
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Briana Tyler, an employee who survived, said: "I looked up and my manager just opened the door and he just opened fire. He didn't say a word, he didn't say anything at all. He just came around the corner and started shooting."
Six people died and the gunman then fatally shot himself. Four other people were injured in the attack and remained in hospital.
Virginia's second mass shooting in two weeks
It was the second mass shooting in Virginia this month. Three students at the University of Virginia were killed on Nov 13 by a classmate after a field trip.
The latest shooting also came days after a gun attack at a gay nightclub in Colorado, in which five people were killed and at least 18 injured.
According to the Gun Violence Archive website there have been more than 600 mass shootings in the United States so far this year.
I am absolutely heartbroken that America’s latest mass shooting took place in a Walmart in my district in Chesapeake, Virginia tonight. I will not rest until we find the solutions to end this gun violence epidemic in our country that has taken so many lives.
— L. Louise Lucas (@SenLouiseLucas) November 23, 2022
It defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are killed or injured.
Walmart, the largest retailer in the US, said it was "shocked at this tragic event" and "praying for those impacted".
Glenn Youngkin, the Governor of Virginia, said: "Our hearts break with the community of Chesapeake. Heinous acts of violence have no place in our communities."
Three years ago, 23 people were killed in a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, near the US-Mexico border.
