Walmart shooting kills several, police say

Police are responding to a report of an active gunman at a Walmart Supercenter in Chesapeake, Virginia, where multiple deaths have been reported.

Police received reports of gunfire on Battlefield Boulevard as of 10:12 p.m. Tuesday, according to a report by WAVY 10.

Leo Kosinski, public information officer for the Chesapeake Police Department, told the outlet that multiple deaths and injuries have been reported and police are clearing the building. Authorities have also confirmed that the shooter is dead.

The number of victims and the extent of the injuries are still unclear.

Michelle Wolf, a WAVY correspondent at the scene of the shooting, said it was unclear if the shooter was a store employee.

Wolf said she could count at least 40 squad cars responding to the store.

“They just line up and down the parking lot where the Walmart is,” Wolf said during a broadcast. “It looks like it and I’m not trying to be funny, this is serious business. It looks like a holiday parade. I see so many lights right now.”

In conversation with Kosinski Posted by Wolf Speaking on Twitter, the spokesman said police believe there was only one shooter and that police did not fire any shots.

According to Kosinski, officials said the death toll had not exceeded 10, while confirming at least one person was found dead outside the store. The shooting occurred inside the building, police said.

Virginia State Senator Lionell Spruillrepresenting the Chesapeake County, wrote on Twitter Tuesday night to “keep my city in your prayers as we have become the latest victims of futility #Armed force.”

“I can’t be put into words right now!” Spruill wrote in a following post. “Hold on to your loved ones, my friends!!”

state senator L Louise Lucaswho will represent the district of Chesapeake next year also took to her Twitter account Tuesday and wrote that she was “absolutely heartbroken that America’s most recent mass shooting took place at a Walmart in my district.”

“I will not rest until we find solutions to end this epidemic of gun violence in our country that has claimed so many lives,” added Lucas.

There have been at least 605 mass shootings in the United States this year as of Sunday, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research group. The group defines an incident as a mass shooting when at least four people are injured or killed.

The latest high-profile shooting took place at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Saturday night, where 22-year-old Anderson Aldrich is accused of killing five people and injuring 18 others.

This is an evolving story and will be updated as information becomes available.

Update 11/23/22 12:14 PM ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background information.