The families of the six Walmart staff gunned down by a store manager last yr received a check for $2,500 from a non-profit group on Wednesday — the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting in Chesapeake, Va.
Andre Bing opened fire within the break room of the Walmart as the employees gathered for a pre-shift meeting on Nov. 22, 2022, before turning the gun on himself.
The victims included 38-year-old Brian Pendleton of Chesapeake; 52-year-old Kellie Pyle of Chesapeake; 43-year-old Lorenzo Gamble of Chesapeake; 70-year-old Randy Belvins of Chesapeake, and 22-year-old Tyneka Johnson of Portsmouth.
The sixth and youngest victim was 16-year-old Fernando Chavez-Barron.
Virginia-based healthcare company Sentara Health cut a check for $15,000 on the remembrance event, in line with local outlet 13 News Now.
The $2,500 gift was additional cash than the families received from the multibillion dollar discount chain.
On the one-year anniversary of the Chesapeake, Va., Walmart shooting on Wednesday, the six victims’ families collectively received $15,000 from nonprofit healthcare company Sentara Health.WVEC
The Chesapeake Walmart shooting victims: (clockwise from top left) Tyneka Johnson, 20, Brian Pendleton, 38, Randy Belvins, 70, Fernando Chavez-Barron, 16, Lorenzo Gamble, 43, and Kelly Pyle, 52.AP; REUTERS
There have been no Walmart executives in attendance on the event, in line with 13 News.
“We supported these families with funeral, travel, and other expenses,” a Walmart spokesperson told The Post on Wednesday.
“Moreover, all Walmart associates and their families have access to confidential grief and wellness support resources for gratis – including phone, chat-based or video support.”
Reps for Sentara Health didn’t immediately reply to The Post’s request for comment.
In the course of the luncheon, event organizer Mary Bibbs called for more measures to be put in place to stop similar incidents in the longer term.
“How are all of us coming together and addressing violence, mental health, opioid abuse? How are we moving the needle forward in the proper direction?” Bibbs asked.
“We all know that last yr’s incident, that mass shooting, can occur anywhere at any time,” she said throughout the event, which was titled “Our Path Forward.”
Law enforcement never identified a transparent motive, nor did they confirm if Bing suffered from mental health issues.
Police did, nonetheless, find an inventory once they searched Bing’s body containing the names of colleagues he wished to focus on.
The shooter, 31-year-old Andre Bing, turned the gun on himself after opening fire within the break room of the Walmart in Sams Circle as staff gathered for a pre-shift meeting on Nov. 22, 2022.REUTERS
Police found three of the victims dead once they arrived on the scene, while the opposite three succumbed to their injuries at a neighborhood hospital.SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The Sams Circle Walmart outpost will close early on Wednesday, at 5 p.m. as a substitute of 11 p.m., in remembrance of the shooting.AP
At the very least 50 people were in the shop on the time of the incident, a lot of whom were picking up last-minute Thanksgiving groceries.
Walmart’s Sam Circle location has since memorialized the six victims with an outside space to “honor the victims and supply a spot of comfort,” the corporate said, with greenery and 6 seating structures, each with a plaque donning the name of the employees who were killed, in line with 13 News.