Six people killed by 'store manager' at Virginia Walmart in gun rampage days before Thanksgiving

23 November 2022, 05:54 | Updated: 23 November 2022, 11:16

By Fran Way

@journofran

Six people have been killed at a Walmart in Virginia after a gunman, thought to be the 'store manager', opened fire just days before thanksgiving.

Officers were called to the store at Sam’s Circle in Chesapeake at around 10.12pm on Tuesday, which is 3am UK time this morning.

Police said several people were shot dead and that multiple people were injured. The gunman has also been killed.

In an update Chesapeake Police confirmed there had been seven fatalities, including the shooter.

A news conference will be held at 8am on Wednesday by the force, which will be 1pm UK time. In that we expect to hear the latest developments and what happened.

Officers evacuated the building and checked the 24-hour superstore to make sure that nobody is hiding after hearing the gunshots or injured.

Speaking to the press Leo Kosinski from the police department said he cannot confirm if the fatalities are just store employees or shoppers too.

Speaking on Facebook, one employee wearing the Walmart uniform said that the gunman is one of the managers at the store who went into the breakroom with a weapon and ‘started spraying’.

Chesapeake Police tweeted that a family reunification centre site has been set up for immediate family members or the emergency contacts of those who were in the building.

Writing on Twitter. The City of Chesapeake said: “We’re only a few hours into the response, so we don’t have all the answers yet. Chesapeake Police continue their investigation into the active shooter event at Walmart on Sam’s Circle. We do know there are multiple fatalities plus injuries and the shooter is confirmed dead."