The victims who died after a Walmart manager opened fire in a break room on Tuesday night have been publicly identified by Chesapeake, VA, authorities.
via People:
The City of Chesapeake shared the names and photos of five of the victims on Wednesday, noting that the sixth person killed was a 16-year-old boy whose identity will not be publicized due to his age.
The remaining victims are Brian Pendleton, 38, Kellie Pyle, 52, Lorenzo Gamble, 43, Randy Blevins, 70, and Tyneka Johnson, 22, according to multiple outlets.
Five people were also injured, with one being released from Sentara Norfolk General Hospital on Wednesday evening. Two people are still in critical condition, per Norfolk, Virginia’s 13 News Now.
The suspect, later identified by Walmart as 31-year-old Andre Bing, took his own life.
Michelle Johnson, said that her late son Brain Pendleton “had a real big heart,” while speaking with ABC News via phone.
“Anybody that wanted to laugh, or just want company, he’d buy you lunch. He’d buy you anything in a minute,” she added.
Pendleton, who was a custodian at the grocery chain for more than a decade, “loved his job” Johnson recalled. “He was just a hard worker and a good kid.”
She opened up about the moment she found out about the deadly shooting through a family friend. Her husband immediately went to the area where families were waiting to hear updates about their loved ones. Johnson’s husband was informed that Pendleton had been taken to Norfolk General Hospital, where Johnson and her husband quickly headed.
Becoming emotional, she explained to ABC News, “We waited, and then the police came out with a nurse and they took us to a side room and that’s when they told us that he didn’t make it.
“I just wondered, was he afraid at that time? I know my son. I didn’t want him to be afraid, and I didn’t want him to hurt.”
Johnson shared that she and Pendleton, who was set to celebrate his birthday on Dec. 2, both had congenital hydrocephalus.
“We’re fighters, and we trust the Lord,” she said, stating that she and Pendleton were “blessed” to not have suffered from serious cases.
“I don’t understand why, what happened, happened,” she said. “I will never go near that Walmart again.”
Authorities told reporters that the events began shortly after 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday night and that the suspect also died at the scene. In a Wednesday morning press conference, authorities said that the gunman, who was unidentified at the time, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He used a pistol in the shooting, police say.
“I looked up and my manager just opened the door and he just opened fire,” Walmart employee Briana Tyler told ABC’s Good Morning America Wednesday. “He just started shooting throughout the entire break room. I watched multiple people drop down to the floor, whether they were ducking for cover or they were hit.”
The manager looked her way, fired, but missed.
“He looked directly at me,” she said. “But luckily he missed my head by an inch or two.”
Tyler said he didn’t say anything during the shooting.
“I would have never thought he would do something like this,” she said. “Absolutely not.”
Our prayers go out to everyone affected by this senseless tragedy.
