Walmart Manager Who Killed 6 Had a Manifesto on His Phone: Report

Jay Paul/Reuters
Jay Paul/Reuters

The Walmart manager who laughed while brutally shooting six people dead and injuring several more on Tuesday night had a manifesto on his phone explaining the motive for his horrific killing, according to a new report.

Law enforcement described Andre Bing’s manifesto to 10 On Your Side’s Chris Horne on Wednesday night, saying it describes how Bing was “upset about the recent change in employment status and was being harassed about it by fellow employees.”

Further details on the manifesto were unavailable, but The Daily Beast has contacted the Chesapeake Police Department for comment. On Thursday, a law enforcement official said there were “no updates available at this time.”

A former employee of the store reiterated “issues” to WAVY, saying that while the manager was “eccentric,” they “never saw this coming, not from a million miles away.”

“I mean, from what I saw, he was a good guy, but I’ve heard that he had issues, and they tried to talk him through his issues,” the worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said.

“Sometimes he could be a little hard to get along with, some associates didn’t like him. But I don’t think they bullied him,” he said.

<div class="inline-image__caption"><p>Andre Bing, 31, the suspect in the deadly shooting of fellow employees at a Walmart store in Chesapeake, Virginia.</p></div> <div class="inline-image__credit">Chesapeake Police Department</div>

Andre Bing, 31, the suspect in the deadly shooting of fellow employees at a Walmart store in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Chesapeake Police Department

Walmart earlier confirmed Bing, 31, was a “team lead” who had worked with the company since 2010. He was the Chesapeake, Virginia, store’s night manager and was dressed in civilian clothing instead of armor or a ballistic vest as he began his rampage, pulling out a handgun in the break room before an employee meeting and firing in rapid succession.

Cops said that at least 50 people were inside the store at the time of the shooting and that authorities are still trying to account for anyone who may have been at the scene and witnessed the incident but fled prior to police arrival.

In a statement Wednesday evening, Walmart president and CEO Doug McMillon said his “heart hurts” for those lost “at the hands of one of our associates.”

“We are continuing our work to create a safe experience for associates and customers in every store,” he said, as Walmart attempts to “navigate this tragedy.”

Investigators spent Wednesday searching for clues in Bing’s background as authorities announced the names of five of the victims: Lorenzo Gamble, Brian Pendleton, Kellie Pyle, Randall Blevins, and Tyneka Johnson. The sixth victim is a 16-year-old male resident of Chesapeake whose name and photo are being withheld because he was a minor.

Three people remained in hospital Wednesday afternoon, according to WAVY.

New details of the terror inside the store began to emerge Wednesday.

It was a “normal night” at the store, Walmart employee Kevin Harper told ABC News on Wednesday. After hearing gunshots, he said he hid in a clothes rack, but as the gunman approached, he ran and “didn’t look back.”

“Time stopped, it felt like forever getting out of that store,” he said.

“I just wanted to survive.”

One Walmart employee, Briana Tyler, told the Associated Press that as Bing began to fire, she saw “bodies drop” around the room.

“He was just shooting all throughout the room. It didn’t matter who he hit. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t look at anybody in any specific type of way.”

The first officer arrived on scene within two minutes of an emergency call describing an active shooter inside the store at 10:12 p.m. By 10:16 p.m. officers were entering the store.

Once inside, officers began locating and evacuating people while identifying several injured and deceased individuals.

Three people, including the shooter, were located deceased in the break room of the store. One victim was located deceased near the front of the store. Three other victims were transported to local hospitals for further treatment but succumbed to their injuries.

Cops say Bing, who was armed with one handgun and several magazines, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

On Wednesday evening, Chesapeake Mayor Rick West said in a video message: “Who would have ever thought that there would be a mass shooting right here in the city of Chesapeake?” He urged residents “I know that we will come together and lend a helping hand to the victims’ families. We’ll share this burden together.”

He promised more information would follow.

The Walmart is expected to be closed for several days while detectives continue to collect evidence and process the crime scene. Detectives are working to learn more about the shooter’s background and what may have motivated the shooting.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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