CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Wednesday marks the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at a Chesapeake Walmart, where a store manager gunned down six of his employees before turning the gun on himself.
A Hampton Roads psychologist and post-traumatic stress disorder expert told me it’s normal to be apprehensive about returning to the store or any site of a mass shooting.
“For some of us, it may be years, or we may never choose to step foot back in that Walmart setting or even this parking lot,” said Dr. Kristie Norwood. “It's about saying, what is it that I need to be well? What is it that I need to be okay?”
As the anniversary of the mass shooting approached, the family of victim and Walmart employee Brian Pendleton opened up to me in a raw, heartbreaking and exclusive interview. His mother told me she has a hard-line stance on returning to the store.
“As long as I know my son’s blood is laying on the floor back there, I’m not going back there. I’m not going back in that store,” said Michelle Johnson during our conversation about her son’s death.
Johnson's son, Brian Pendleton, was among the six employees who were shot and killed by the store’s supervisor, Andre Bing, after several employees complained about his “erratic, disturbing, violent and harassing behavior” in the months and years before the shooting. Bing shot and killed himself after the rampage.
“I felt [what Brian Pendleton’s mother said], because even though you can wipe it away, it is still there. That is heavy when you walk in the store,” said Walmart customer Sarah McGirt.
McGirt told me while she has decided to return to the store, she didn’t do it without deep consideration for the lives lost there.
“I do think about them when I’m in the store,” she shared with me. “I’ve looked around and I kind of said, I wonder what was going on that day?”
While other customers remain apprehensive, or have vowed never to return, Dr. Norwood encourages all of us to support whatever decisions are good for someone’s mental health.
“Today, someone might feel fine going in. But tomorrow, that anxiety might hit,” explained Dr. Norwood. “That sadness might be too overwhelming, and so we also have to take it moment by moment, and day by day.”
Dr. Norwood told me if apprehension about returning to a place like the Greenbrier Walmart spreads to other areas of our lives, it may be time to seek mental health help.
“When we start generalizing every space as a space of fear, every space as a space of trauma, then we shrink our lives,” said Dr. Norwood. “When we shrink our lives, we're no longer living. We're no longer able to be well because my wellness is confined to this [traumatic moment].”
Dr. Norwood continued in a previous interview about returning to Walmart, “If we kind of open it up to the entire world, the number of people that go to grocery store every day don’t experience that level of trauma.”
“You can ultimately get your life back,” said Dr. Norwood in support of therapy to process complicated emotions following a mass shooting. “You can eventually start to live a life where you may still feel some of those symptoms, but at least you’re not limited by the event or events that have happened.”
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
You can call or text 988 if you’re in a suicidal crisis or emotional distress. It’s a national network of local crisis centers that provide free and confidential support. They are available to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can learn more at 988lifeline.org.
Findtreatment.gov
Findtreatment.gov is a confidential and anonymous resource for locating treatment facilities for mental and substance use disorders in the United States and its territories. Visit https://findtreatment.gov/locator to locate treatment options near you.
National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline
The NAMI HelpLine is a free, nationwide peer-supported service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with a mental health condition. You can text “HelpLine” to 62640 or call 800-950-6264. Learn more about additional resources at www.nami.org/help.
Open Path Psychotherapy Collective
The Open Path Psychotherapy Collective is a nationwide network of mental health professionals who offer virtual and in-office sessions at a steeply reduced rate to people who qualify. You can learn more at www.openpathcollective.org.
