A gunman killed six people at a Walmart supermarket on Tuesday night in a town in the US state of Virginia, local authorities said, adding the gunman was also dead. “Chesapeake Police confirm seven victims, including the shooter, following last night’s shooting at Walmart on Sam’s Circle,” the city tweeted. Chesapeake Local Police Officer Leo Kosinski told reporters that response teams entered the store “immediately” upon arrival after an emergency call at 10 p.m. (0300 GMT Wednesday).
This Wednesday morning (French time), the municipality of the city, located 240 kilometers southeast of Washington, confirmed on Twitter “an incident due to a shooter with deaths at Walmart on Sam’s Circle”. “Our first response teams are well prepared and ready to respond. Please give them space to do so,” she added.
Regular shootings
Many police officers were present at the scene of the shooting, according to images released by the news media. Investigators are combing through the supermarket and securing the area, Kosinski said. Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas said she was “utterly heartbroken that the last mass shooting in America took place tonight at a Walmart in my district of Chesapeake.” Walmart says it is shocked by the shooting.
“I will find no rest until we find solutions to end this endemic gun violence that has stolen so many lives in our country,” the senator continued on Twitter. The United States is regularly the scene of mass killings and other gun violence, but the issue of gun control remains politically sensitive and Congress remains reluctant to toughen laws in this area. The supermarket shooting took place 48 hours before Thanksgiving celebrations and comes after a shooting at a gay club last weekend in Colorado sparked outrage across the country.