Police have confirmed “multiple” fatalities and injuries after a shooter opened fire inside a Walmart store in eastern Virginia on Tuesday night, though the exact number of victims is not clear. The suspect is believed to be dead.
A spokesman for the Chesapeake Police Department told reporters that officers received a call about a shooting just after 10pm local time, noting that they “responded in an active-shooter fashion.”
Police found “multiple fatalities and multiple injured parties” after entering the store, but the spokesman suggested the shooting had already ended at that point.
“We believe it was a single shooter, and we believe that shooter is deceased at this time,” he added, saying he could not confirm whether the gunman was killed by a self-inflicted wound.
According to the spokesman, officers did not fire any rounds.
The Chesapeake PD was unable to provide a total number of fatalities in the tragic incident, but said it is believed to be “less than 10.”
Despite rumors that the gunman was a manager at the Walmart store, the police spokesman declined to confirm whether he worked there, explaining that officers were still at the scene investigating. The Virginia State Police are assisting local authorities in their probe.