A gunman – believed to be a Walmart store manager – has opened fire and killed multiple people in a store in the US state of Virginia.
Seven people are dead after a gunman — believed to be the store manager — opened fire inside a Walmart in the US state of Virginia.
Police said seven people died in the tragedy — including the shooter.
“We were able to find multiple fatalities and multiple injured parties,” Chesapeake Police Department officer Leo Kosinski told reporters at the scene, saying rapid response officers entered the store “immediately” as they arrived.
“We believe it is a single shooter and that single shooter is deceased at this time,” he added.
The City of Chesapeake also said on Twitter that police did “confirm an active shooter incident with fatalities at the Walmart on Sam’s Circle”.
“Our first responders are well-trained and prepared to respond; please give them space to do so,” it added.
Employees said that they knew the suspected shooter “very, very well”.
One employee recounted the event in a video and alleged the shooter was his manager, however this has not been confirmed by police.
He said: “He blew his brains out and everything. He killed the girl in there and everything.
“He came in and started spraying. I’m sorry for the victims.”
News footage showed a major police presence at the scene, with Kosinski saying several officers and investigators were combing through the store and securing the area.
A gunman shot and killed multiple people in a Walmart store late Tuesday in the US state of Virginia, police and city officials said, adding that the shooter too is dead.
Virginia state Senator Louise Lucas, who represents the region, said she was “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,” she said on Twitter.
Walmart released a statement: “We are shocked at this tragic event at our Chesapeake, Virginia store.
“We’re praying for those impacted, the community and our associates. We’re working closely with law enforcement, and we are focused on supporting our associates.”
