On Tuesday, November 22, former Chesapeake Walmart employee Andre Bing reportedly entered his workplace armed with a handgun, fatally shooting six people and injuring several others, before killing himself.
Many of his co-workers expressed their shock at the incident to CNN, saying that while the suspect may have been peculiar, they did not expect him to behave violently.
However, according to Wavy News, an anonymous law enforcement source told reporters that throughout the course of the investigation, officers discovered a manifesto on Bing's phone that indicated plans to carry out violence.
The New York Post reported that one of Andre Bing's former co-workers, Shaundraiya Reese, told reporters that while she did not anticipate the violence, it was clear that the suspect was disturbed.
Reese stated:
“He was always saying the government was watching him. Everyone always thought something was wrong with him.”
Further details about Andre Bing
Despite the discovery of Bing's alleged manifesto, which supposedly had a list of targets he intended to kill, Chesapeake authorities reported that a further search of his home did not reveal anything else about these supposed plans.
The manifesto reportedly outlined how upset the suspect was with his workplace and fellow employees.
Joshua Johnson, a former co-worker of Bing, said that the suspect had spoken about attacking managers and employees who had upset him, adding:
“He said if he ever got fired from his job he would retaliate and people would remember who he was."
In an interview with Wavy, an anonymous former co-worker of Andre Bing described what he knew about the accused.
The former co-worker, who left his job at Walmart earlier this year, said:
“I never saw this coming, not from a million miles away. He was always a little eccentric, a little hyper, but pretty much easygoing, carefree. 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 continued:
“It’s just crazy. It could’ve been me if this was 6 months ago. I would’ve been there."
In a LinkedIn post, Walmart Chief Executive Doug McMillon discussed how shocked he was at the fact that a former employee at the chain had become a primary suspect in the massacre, stating:
“The devastating news of last night’s shooting at our Chesapeake, VA store at the hands of one of our associates has hit our Walmart family hard. My heart hurts for our associates and the Chesapeake community who have lost or injured loved ones."
While Chesapeake authorities have not confirmed Andre Bing's motives, Marca reported that officers are continuing to probe the manifesto, hoping it may hold answers to what caused the devastating attack.
The case is currently under investigation by Chesapeake authorities