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On Wednesday, the one-year anniversary of the Chesapeake, Virginia, mass shooting, the families of six Walmart employees shot and killed by a store manager last year received a $2,500 check from a nonprofit organization.
Andre Bing opened fire on Nov. 22, 2022, in a Walmart break room where employees were meeting before work, then turned the gun on himself.
Among the victims was Brian Pendleton, 38, of Chesapeake. Kelly Pyle, 52, of Chesapeake. Lorenzo Gamble, 43, of Chesapeake. They are 70-year-old Randy Belvins of Chesapeake and 22-year-old Tineka Johnson of Portsmouth.
The sixth and youngest victim was 16-year-old Fernando Chavez Barron.
According to local media outlet 13 News Now, Virginia-based health care company Sentara Health cut a check for $15,000 at a memorial event.
The $2,500 gift was more than the cash the family received from the multibillion-dollar discount chain.
According to 13 News, no Walmart executives attended the event.
“We assisted these families with funeral, travel and other expenses,” a Walmart spokesperson told the Post on Wednesday.
“Additionally, all Walmart employees and their families have free access to confidential grief and wellness support resources, including phone, chat-based, or video support.”
Sentara Health officials did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
During the luncheon, event organizer Mary Bibbs called for further measures to be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“How do we come together to address violence, mental health, and opioid abuse? How do we move the needle in the right direction?” Bibbs asked.
“We know what happened last year, that mass shooting, can happen anytime, anywhere,” she said at an event titled “Our Path Forward.”
Law enforcement has not determined a clear motive or confirmed whether Bing had mental health issues.
But when police searched Bing’s body, they found a list containing the names of colleagues he wanted to target.
At least 50 people were inside the store at the time of the incident, many of them shopping for groceries just before Thanksgiving.
Walmart’s Sam Circle store has since memorialized the six victims with an outdoor space that “honors the victims and provides a place of respite,” with greenery and six seating structures, each dedicated to a victim. The company said a plaque with the names of the workers has been installed. According to 13 News, he died.
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