Andre Bing Bio – Andre Bing Wiki
Andre Bing, a manager at a Walmart store in Chesapeake, Virginia, opened fire on Tuesday evening, killing six people and hurting at least six more at the retail outlet before turning the gun on himself.
AGE:
Andre Bing was 31 years old.
DETAIL OF INCIDENCE:
Officers were dispatched to an active threat situation at the Walmart Supercenter at 10:12 p.m. local time, Chesapeake police spokesperson Leo Kosinski told reporters at the scene Tuesday evening. On Wednesday morning, Police Chief Mark Solesky said officers were on the scene within two minutes, entered the store two minutes after that, and within just about an hour, they cleared the store and located all the victims.
City officials said Wednesday afternoon that two victims and the gunman were found dead in the break room. Another victim was found dead toward the front of the store. Three died at area hospitals.
In a statement, Walmart identified the gunman as Andre Bing. His position was “overnight team lead”, and he started working for Walmart in 2010, the company said. City officials said the gunman was 31 years old and armed with a handgun and multiple magazines.
Solesky said the gunman died of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police were not seeking anyone else in connection with the shooting.
Walmart worker Briana Tyler told the Associated Press the shooting happened in the store’s break room. Tyler said that between 15 and 20 people on the overnight stocking team were in the room for a meeting when her manager opened fire.
“It is by the grace of God that a bullet missed me,” Tyler told the AP. “I saw the smoke leaving the gun, and I literally watched bodies drop. It was crazy.”
She told the news service that the shooting unfolded quickly, and the gunman didn’t appear to target specific people. City officials said the gunman was dressed in civilian clothing and not wearing any body armor.
“He was just shooting all throughout the room,” Tyler said. “It didn’t matter who he hit. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t look at anybody in any specific type of way.”
Family members identified two deceased victims as Tyneka Johnson, 22, and Brian Pendleton, 39. The City of Chesapeake identified the remaining adult victims Wednesday evening as Lorenzo Gamble, Kellie Pyle, and Randall Blevins. The identity of the sixth victim, a 16-year-old boy, was withheld because he was a minor, the City said.
At least six other people were receiving treatment at hospitals, the City said. Two patients at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital were in critical condition, Dr. Michael Hooper, the hospital’s chief medical officer, told reporters.
Johnson had only worked for Walmart for a couple of months and was saving up for her first car and apartment, CBS News Justice and Homeland Security reporter Nicole Sganga reports. James Pendleton said in a statement that his brother Brian “had a big heart for anybody who needed help” and “would give, literally, the shirt off his back to someone who needed it more than him.”
“The city of Chesapeake has always been known as the ‘City That Cares’, and now, more than ever, we know our City will show up and care for those who need it most,” the City said Wednesday night. “Please join us in praying for the family and friends of these community members who we have lost.”
The FBI’s office in Norfolk, Virginia, confirmed that the agency was assisting the Chesapeake Police Department, the lead agency on the investigation.
“We heard several shots inside … and all ran out,” Jeromy Basham said. “There was a person down that’s still down out front.”
Another man said in a video he was among the Walmart employees inside the store when the shooting began, Pegues reports.
“I walked out of the break room, right? And as soon as, probably about, no later than five minutes,” there were gunshots, Kevin Harper said.
Chesapeake Mayor Rick West released a statement early Wednesday morning saying he was “devastated by the senseless act of violence” and lauding first responders.
West told CBS News that thinking about how to respond to mass shootings has become part of the job for city leaders throughout the country.
“The first feeling was nothing but dread because here it was, I knew what we’d be having to face and what those poor families are going to be facing for years to come,” West said.