Gunman kills six at Walmart store in Virginia

1. Seven people including the gunman have died in a shooting at a Walmart supermarket in Chesapeake, Virginia, police say
2. At least four people are being treated for injuries and their conditions are unknown
3. A Walmart employee opened fire at 22:12 local time (03:12 GMT) and later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound
4. The suspect's home has been searched, police say, but there is no clear motive for the attack
5. The city's mayor says he's "devastated by the senseless act of violence", while a state senator says she's "absolutely heartbroken"
6. Walmart says it is "shocked at this tragic event"

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Here's what we know about the mass shooting that took place in Chesapeake, Virginia, overnight:

• An employee at a Walmart supermarket in the city shot dead six people and injured four others, police say
• He later turned the gun on himself and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound
• The first call to police was made at 22:12 local time on Tuesday (03:12 GMT Wednesday) and officers arrived at the supermarket within two minutes. The scene was declared safe around an hour later

• The motive is still unknown. Police are not searching for anyone else in connection with the attack
• The city's mayor says he is "devastated by the senseless act of violence", while a state senator says she's "absolutely heartbroken"
• Walmart says it is "shocked at this tragic event"

For all the latest, read our news story here.

Only share verified information - officials

City officials have just urged people to only share verified information, after unfounded rumours spread of another shooting in the city.

How do US gun killings compare with other countries?

BBC

In 2020, 43% of gun-related deaths - amounting to 19,384 people - were murders, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The figure represents a 34% increase from 2019, and a 75% increase over the course of the previous decade.

Nearly 53 people are killed each day by a firearm in the US, according to the data.

The data also shows that the vast majority of murders, 79%, were carried out with guns.

That's a significantly larger proportion of homicides than is the case in Canada, Australia, England and Wales, and many other countries.

Crime scene could take days to process - police chief

Processing the crime scene at the Walmart is likely to take days, according to Chief Solesky.

He says the investigation - which remains in its initial stages - is being carried out with the help of the FBI.

Quoting store employees, local media has reported that the shooting began in a break-room at the back of the store. Solesky would not confirm that.

The press conference has now ended.

Gunman was Walmart employee - police chief

Police Chief Mark Solesky tells reporters he is unable to go into details about the suspected gunman, or reveal their identity, because their next of kin had not yet been informed.

However, he says he believes the suspect was an employee of Walmart.

The gunman's home has been searched by officers but there is still no clear motive, he adds.

Police chief gives timeline of response

CBS

Police Chief Mark Solesky is giving an account of the police's response.

He said the police received an emergency call at 22.12 local time (03:12 GMT) and arrived at the scene two minutes later. They entered the supermarket at 22:16.

He said the scene was declared safe at 23:20.

Chief Solesky confirms six victims have died. He says the suspect is dead from what police believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Chesapeake devastated by shooting - mayor

A press conference is currently taking place in Chesapeake following last night's mass shooting.

In a statement read by City Manager Christopher Price, Chesapeake Mayor Rick West says the town is "devastated by the senseless violence" that took place on Tuesday night.

Mayor West - who was unable to attend the news conference after testing positive for Covid-19 - said that he was "grateful for the quick actions" of officers who quickly reached the scene.

According to city officials, police officers were at the Walmart where the shooting took place within a few minutes.

"We're really shaken by this news," the statement said. "We will support each other throughout this time."

'Our hearts break' - Virginia governor

Glenn Youngkin, Virginia's Republican governor, has said "heinous acts of violence" have no place in the communities he represents.

Writing on Twitter earlier this morning, he said:

WATCH: Woman says brother shot after 10 minutes at work

A woman told media her brother was among the Walmart victims, shortly after turning up for duty

How many guns are there in the US?

BBC

While calculating the number of guns in private hands around the world is difficult, figures from the Small Arms Survey - a Swiss-based leading research project - estimate that there were 390 million guns in circulation in 2018.

The US ratio of 120.5 firearms per 100 residents, up from 88 per 100 in 2011, far surpasses that of other countries around the world.

More recent data also suggests that gun ownership grew significantly over the last several years. One study, published by the Annals of Internal Medicine in February, found that 7.5 million US adults - just under 3% of the population - became new gun owners between January 2019 and April 2021.

This, in turn, exposed 11 million people to firearms in their homes, including five million children. About half of new gun owners in that time period were women, while 40% were either black or Hispanic.

A separate study, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2021, linked a rise in gun ownership during the pandemic to higher rates of gun injuries among - and inflicted by - children.

What do we know?

EPA

If you’re just joining us, here are some of the key developments following a mass shooting in Chesapeake, Virginia.

• Police say seven people are dead - including the gunman - following an attack at a Walmart supermarket at 22:12 local time (03:12 GMT)
• A man, believed to be the store manager, opened fire before reportedly turning the gun on himself
• A local hospital says at least five people are being treated for their injuries there
• A police press conference giving further details is promised for 08:00 local time (13:00 GMT)
• The mayor of Chesapeake says he's "devastated by the senseless act of violence", and has called for members of the "tightknit community" to support each other
• Walmart says it's "shocked" and is "working closely" with law enforcement. Virginia Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, says he's "sickened"

• Tuesday night's attack came just three days after five people were shot dead in an LGBT nightclub in Colorado on Saturday

'A senseless act of violence' - Chesapeake mayor

The mayor of Chesapeake, Rick West, says he's “devastated by the senseless act of violence” that took place.

He says his prayers are with all those affected, and that he's grateful for the quick actions taken by the first responders who rushed to the scene.

“Chesapeake is a tightknit community and we are all shaken by this news. Together, we will support each other throughout this time,” West says in his statement.

Counting the number of people killed in US gun violence

Reuters

Firearms deaths are a fixture in American life.

There were 1.5 million of them between 1968 and 2017 - higher than the number of soldiers killed in every US conflict since the American War for Independence in 1775.

This year, almost 40,000 Americans have died from gun shots, according to Gun Violence Archive, more than 1,500 of which are children, including 290 under the age of 11.

In 2020, 45,000 people were killed by guns, more than any other year on record. The figure represents a 25% increase from five years prior, and a 43% increase from 2010.

But the issue is a highly political one, pitting gun control advocates against sectors of the population fiercely protective of their constitutionally-enshrined right to bear arms.

How many mass shootings in America in 2022?

The Chesapeake shooting comes in the wake of a number of high-profile mass shootings in the United States in recent months and occurred a day before Thanksgiving, one of the most important holidays in the United States.

Just a few days ago, five people were killed and dozens injured after a gunman opened fire at a drag show at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A US army veteran possibly saved dozens of lives by subduing the gunman.

In May, 19 children and two adults were killed at a shooting at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Local police have faced criticism for reportedly not immediately confronting the gunman despite knowing that children were wounded inside a classroom.

A few days before that a teenage gunman in Buffalo, New York killed 10 people and injured three others – almost all of them black – in a racially motivated attack at a supermarket. The suspect described himself as a fascist and a white supremacist.

According to Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which tracks gun violence in the United States, there have been 606 mass shootings this year, and 36 mass murders. GVA defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people were killed or injured, not including the shooter. Last year it recorded 611 mass shootings.

Reuters

Employee shot shortly after starting shift, local media reports

More from the scene of the attack in Chesapeake now.

Local media outlet WAVY 10 said it had spoken with a family member of a Walmart employee that had been injured in the shooting.

Deborah, the sister of the employee, told WAVY 10 she received a call shortly after 22:00 local time from her brother, who told her had been shot and was being treated by paramedics.

Before he clocked in at work, the family had spoken to the employee on video call while they were having a Thanksgiving dinner.

He then called them back to tell his family he was injured in the attack.

The employee, in his mid-50s, has worked at Walmart's Chesapeake store for 20 years.

BreakingSeven dead, including gunman, police confirm

Chesapeake Police have confirmed that seven people were killed in last night's attack, including the shooter.

Press conference at 13:00 GMT

A press conference in response to the shooting in Chesapeake will take place at 08:00 local time (13:00 GMT), officials said.

We'll bring you the latest updates.

What's been happening?

Police officers and emergency services are still at the scene of a shooting at a Walmart store in Chesapeake, Virginia. If you're just joining us, here's a recap of the latest developments:

• Up to 10 people were killed and multiple people were injured in the shooting, police say
• The attack happened at 22:12 local time (03:12 GMT) on Tuesday night
• The gunman was found dead at the store, police confirm
• Walmart said it is "shocked" at the attack and is "working closely" with law enforcement
• Virginia state Senator L. Louise Lucas says she is "absolutely heartbroken" and another Senator for Virginia, Mark Warner, says he is "sickened"
• The City of Chesapeake asked the public stay away from the store to give first responders space to investigate

Support for families and emergency contacts

A family reunification site has been set up for immediate family members and emergency contacts of those who were in the Walmart store when the fatal shooting took place, officials say.

The City of Chesapeake wrote on Twitter: "This site is only for immediate family members or the emergency contact of those who may have been in the building."

A media stage was also set up near the scene of the shooting.

It said it doesn't have "all the answers yet" and Chesapeake Police is continuing their investigation into the attack.

The city also asked the public to stay away from the scene as the investigation continues.

“Our first responders are well-trained and prepared to respond; please give them space to do so” officials said.

Washington ATF assisting police investigation

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in Washington said it was assisting the police investigation into the Chesapeake shooting.

It's about 03:30 in the morning in Virginia, but the authorities are working through the night on the investigation.