A gunman killed several people at a Walmart supermarket Tuesday night in a town in the US state of Virginia, local authorities said, adding that the gunman was also dead.
“We have found multiple victims and multiple injuries,” Chesapeake City Police Officer Leo Kosinski told reporters, adding that response teams entered the store “immediately” upon arrival, after a call from emergency at 22:00 (03:00 GMT on Wednesday). ).
“We believe that it was a single shooter and that he has already died,” he added.
The number of victims is still unknown
The number of victims has not been officially announced but according to the police, the shooting would not have caused more than 10 deaths. It is also this balance that is reported by the WUSA television station, affiliated with the CBS network.
The municipality of the city, located 240 kilometers southeast of Washington, confirmed on Twitter “a shooter incident with deaths at Walmart in Sam’s Circle.”
“Our first responders are well prepared and ready to respond. Give them space to do so,” he added.
Many police officers were present at the scene of the shooting, according to images released by the media. Investigators are going through the supermarket with a fine-tooth comb and securing the area, Leo Kosinski explained.
Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas said she was “completely heartbroken that the latest mass shooting in America took place tonight at a Walmart in my Chesapeake district.”
“I will find no rest until we find solutions to end this endemic gun violence that has claimed so many lives in our country,” the senator continued on Twitter.
For its part, the Walmart supermarket chain said it was dismayed by the shooting.
The United States is a regular scene of mass shootings and other acts of gun violence, but the issue of gun control remains politically sensitive and Congress remains reluctant to toughen legislation in this area.
The supermarket shooting took place 48 hours before Thanksgiving celebrations and comes after a shooting at a gay club last weekend in Colorado sparked outrage across the country.
Source: BFM TV
