photo courtesy of AP
The six victims of the fatal Walmart shooting have been identified following the tragedy. The incident occurred in Chesapeake, Virginia, when a store manager opened fire during a team meeting on Tuesday, November 22. The gunman was identified as Andre Bing, aged 31, who used a handgun to spray bullets into the break room of his Walmart store. Six people were fatally injured in the tragedy when Bing began his attack at 10 PM. Witnesses reported that the assailant said nothing as he entered and started shooting. According to AP, he then proceeded to shoot himself – ending the attack.
The six victims were identified following the shooting, the oldest being 70 and the youngest being just 16 years old. The Washington Post spotlighted the family and lives they left behind.
Kellie Pyle, a 52-year mother from Chesapeake, was survived by her fiance and children. Her soon-to-be stepmother said, “We love her. She was going to marry my son next year. She was an awesome, kind individual — yes, she was.”
Brian Pendleton, 38, worked as a custodian at the store. He was described as always coming to work on time and praising punctuality while still being “happy-go-lucky”. Pendleton’s mother admitted that he particularly had problems with the shooter and that he never liked her son. She said that Pendleton liked all his coworkers, but “[Bing] just didn’t like my son. He would tell me that he (Bing) would give him a hard time.”
Lorenzo Gamble, 43, was an overnight shift custodian who had worked at Walmart for 15 years. A father of two, survived by his sons, Gamble’s mother spoke to AP about missing him.
Randy Blevins, 70, was described as being a part of the ‘family’ who worked at the Chesapeak store. Tyneka Johnson, a young woman from Portsmouth, was honored with a memorial in front of the store. And finally, the 16-year-old victim Fernando Chavez-Barren – the youngest of the six, whose family has exercised their right to privacy in the wake of their resounding loss.