CHESAPEAKE, Va. - The Chesapeake Walmart where six people were killed in the Nov. 22 mass shooting will be closed for the "foreseeable future." That's according to a statement Walmart CEO John Furner released on Tuesday.
That same announcement gave more details about each of the six victims killed in the shooting and the positions they held in the store.
- Randy Blevins, 70, worked at the Walmart on Sam's Circle for 29 years. He was an overnight stock associate. The company says he never missed a day of work. He leaves behind three stepdaughters.
- Fernando Chavez-Barron, 16, was an 11th-grade honor student who worked at Walmart to assist his family.
- Lorenzo Gamble, 43, was a 15-year custodian whose greatest joys were football and spending time with his two sons.
- Tyneka Johnson, 22, was an overnight associate who loved music, dancing and dreamed of attending college soon.
- Brian Pendleton, 38, was a custodian for ten years who always arrived early to his shifts and loved to joke with his fellow associates.
- Kellie Pyle, 52, was an overnight team associate. She leaves behind two children, a granddaughter and a fiancé.
In addition, Walmart said two of the four victims hurt during the shooting are still in the hospital recovering.
The Walmart Foundation announced Tuesday it will contribute $1 million to the United Way of South Hampton Roads’ Hope & Healing Fund. It will support the broader Chesapeake community.
"We’re really excited to hear about the announcement of the grant from Walmart. When you guys heard about it, that’s when we heard about it. We had been talking to Walmart and having conversations," said Kelsey Mohring with the United Way of South Hampton Roads. "It will support community solutions around violence prevention, looking at mental health services and how we look at that long-term healing toward the community."
Walmart's CEO said all employees at the Sam's Circle location will continue to get paid while the store remains closed.
"We’ll work closely with the team to decide how and when we might remodel and reopen in a way that will help them move forward," the statement said.
In a statement on Saturday, Walmart said, "We’ll continue focusing our attention on offering support to our associates, families and loved ones in every way possible. We will work very closely with our associates and rely on their input to determine the best time to reopen the store."
