The attacker in a taking pictures rampage that killed six individuals at a Walmart within the US state of Virginia was a retailer worker who apparently killed himself afterward, police mentioned Wednesday. 4 different individuals remained hospitalized in unknown situation following the Tuesday evening rampage within the Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, police chief Mark Solesky mentioned.

Solesky informed a information convention the gunman was believed to have died of a “self-inflicted gunshot wound,” and that the motive behind the most recent assault in America’s gun violence disaster was not instantly recognized. The assault two days earlier than Thanksgiving, the quintessential American household vacation marked this 12 months on November 24, adopted a weekend gun assault at an LGBTQ membership in Colorado that killed 5 individuals.

It was additionally the second mass taking pictures within the state of Virginia this month: three college students on the College of Virginia who performed on its soccer crew had been killed November 13 by a classmate after a area journey. Emergency calls had been first made simply after 10:00 pm Tuesday (0300 GMT Wednesday) whereas the shop was nonetheless open.

Additionally Learn | Mass taking pictures at LGBTQ nightclub in US leaves 5 useless, 18 wounded

Officers arrived in a matter of two minutes and entered the Walmart two minutes later, Solesky mentioned. US media reported that the gunman opened hearth in a room the place staff take meal breaks however the police chief mentioned he couldn’t verify this. Within the hours afterwards, information footage confirmed a serious police presence across the Walmart, which is situated about 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of the US capital Washington.

– ‘Mindless violence’ –

Chesapeake police officer Leo Kosinski mentioned officers and investigators had been fastidiously sweeping the shop and securing the world. Walmart, the biggest retailer in the USA, issued an announcement early Wednesday saying: “We’re shocked at this tragic occasion.”

The corporate added that it was “praying for these impacted, the group and our associates. We’re working intently with legislation enforcement, and we’re centered on supporting our associates.” Virginia state Senator Louise Lucas, who represents the Chesapeake area, mentioned she was “heartbroken that America’s newest mass taking pictures occurred… in my district.”

“I cannot relaxation till we discover the options to finish this gun violence epidemic in our nation that has taken so many lives,” she wrote on Twitter. Congressman Bobby Scott of Virginia tweeted: “Tragically, our group is affected by yet one more incident of mindless gun violence simply as households are gathering for Thanksgiving.”

The incident occurred three nights after a gunman opened hearth inside an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, killing 5 individuals and injuring no less than 18, in what’s being investigated as a attainable hate crime. Authorities mentioned that suspect, recognized as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, had used a protracted rifle on the membership, the place partygoers had been marking the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which pays tribute to trans individuals focused in violent assaults.

Gun violence happens at an alarming fee in the USA, the place greater than 600 mass shootings have occurred up to now in 2022, in accordance with the Gun Violence Archive web site.