The Associated Press reports that among the six people killed last week in a mass shooting at a Chesapeake, Virginia, Walmart included "a 16-year-old helping his family. A custodian and father of two. A mother with wedding plans. A happy-go-lucky guy. A longtime employee."
CNN provides more context for the shooting:
" The gunman in this week’s deadly Walmart shooting in Chesapeake, Virginia, purchased the handgun he used the morning of the attack and left a 'death note,' outlining grievances against people in his life, city officials said Friday.
"The note – found on his phone – talks about God, the holy spirit, and how the author felt his 'associates' were mocking him. Walmart uses the term associates for some of its employees.
"'The associates gave me evil twisted grins, mocked me and celebrated my down fall the last day. That’s why they suffer the same fate as me,' the note says … The city released the note in a series of tweets, redacting the names of those mentioned by the shooter, who fatally turned the gun on himself after killing six people Tuesday at the store where he worked as an overnight supervisor. None of the victims in the shooting were among the redacted names, police said.
"The gunman had no criminal history, the city said, adding the 9 mm weapon he used in the killings was legally purchased Tuesday. A search of his home yielded a box of ammunition and 'various items in reference to the 9 mm handgun (box, receipt, other paperwork),' the city tweeted."
Meanwhile, from Fox News:
"One person was shot Friday at a Walmart in North Carolina and authorities were trying to find the suspected gunman.
"Lumberton police officers responded to the big-box retail store just before 11:30 a.m. amid reports of gunshots inside. When officers arrived, the store was being evacuated, but they did not find the shooter or that anybody was injured.
"Surveillance video shows the shooter fleeing the store as it was being evacuated, police said."
And, Fox News also reports:
"Sheriff’s deputies in New York state are investigating a Sunday afternoon shooting in a Walmart parking lot that left a man hospitalized.
"Deputies with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office were called to a Walmart located off Route 9 in Queensbury, N.Y., around 3:45 p.m. The deputies were told a man had been shot in the hip.
"The store was evacuated and closed out of an abundance of caution, deputies said in a press release. The shooting took place entirely in the parking lot and no part of the incident occurred inside, deputies said. EMS transported the male victim to an area hospital where he is currently undergoing medical treatment.
"The sheriff’s office and the New York State Police are working to identify a suspect and a possible vehicle in connection with the incident."
- KC's View:
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Three Walmart shooting in less than a week? Jeez.
In September 2019, responding to a series of recent mass shootings - including one in an El Paso Walmart store that resulted in 22 deaths - CEO Doug McMillon wrote, "We want what’s best for our customers, our associates and our communities. In a complex situation lacking a simple solution, we are trying to take constructive steps to reduce the risk that events like these will happen again. The status quo is unacceptable."
I have no doubt of McMillon's sincerity. But I also have no doubt that the status quo remains firmly in place, that people continue to die, that politics and culture seem unwilling and unable to deal with current realities, and that one of the hallmarks of American exceptionalism seems to be that America can be an exceptionally brutal place to live, to be educated, to worship, and to shop.
