Families of victims of Walmart Chesapeake mass shooting received $15,000 gift
The families of six Walmart workers shot to death by a store manager last year received a check for $2,500 from a nonprofit group on Wednesday, the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Andre Bing opened fire in the Walmart break room as workers gathered for a pre-shift meeting on Nov. 22, 2022, before turning the gun on himself.
The victims included 38-year-old Brian Pendleton of Chesapeake; Kellie Pyle, 52, of Chesapeake; Lorenzo Gamble, 43, of Chesapeake; 70-year-old Randy Belvins of Chesapeake and 22-year-old Tyneka Johnson of Portsmouth.
The sixth and youngest victim was Fernando Chávez-Barrón, 16 years old.
Virginia-based healthcare company Sentara Health issued a check for $15,000 at the memorial event, according to local media. 13 News now.
The $2,500 donation was more cash than the families received from the multimillion-dollar discount chain.
According to 13 News, no Walmart executives attended the event.
“We support these families with funeral, travel and other expenses,” a Walmart spokesperson told The Post on Wednesday.
“In addition, all Walmart associates and their families have access to confidential grief and wellness support resources at no cost, including phone, chat or video support.”
Sentara Health representatives did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment.
During lunch, event organizer Mary Bibbs called for more measures to be put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“How do we all come together and address violence, mental health and opioid abuse? How are we moving the needle in the right direction?” Bibbs asked.
“We know that last year’s incident, that mass shooting, can happen anywhere and at any time,” he said during the event, titled “Our Path Forward.”
Authorities never identified a clear motive or confirmed whether Bing was suffering from mental health issues.
However, police found a list when they searched Bing’s body that contained the names of colleagues he wanted to attack.
At least 50 people were in the store at the time of the incident, many of whom were picking up last-minute groceries for Thanksgiving.
Walmart’s Sam Circle location has since memorialized the six victims with an outdoor space to “honor the victims and provide a place of comfort,” the company said, with greenery and six seating structures, each with a plaque with the name of the workers who were murdered. murdered, according to 13 News.
