Multiple fatalities and injuries reported in shooting at a Virginia Walmart

Police in Chesapeake, Virginia, are responding to a shooting at a Walmart with multiple fatalities and injuries, Chesapeake Police public information officer Leo Kosinski told CNN.

Officers responded to the store around 10:12 P.M. and found evidence of a shooting inside, Kosinski told CNN.

The officers entered the store and discovered multiple people dead and injured, Kosinski said. He added that police couldn’t yet confirm a specific number of deaths, but they believe it’s “less than ten.”

The shooter is believed to be among the dead, Kosinski said, noting it’s not believed any law enforcement officers fired shots during the response.

Officers are still going through the store to search for more potential victims.

The Washington, DC, field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is assisting local police in the investigation, the bureau said on Twitter.

Chesapeake city officials asked people to stay away from the store during the investigation. “Our first responders are well-trained and prepared to respond; please give them space to do so” the city said in a tweet.

Joetta Jeffery told CNN her mother, Betsy Umphlett, sent her texts from inside the store during the shooting, alerting her that someone had opened fire.

“I’m crying, I’m shaking,” Jeffery told CNN. “I had just talked to her about buying turkeys for Thanksgiving, then this text came in.”

Jeffery said her mother is uninjured but in shock, and they’ve been reunited.

A reunification center was set up at the Chesapeake Conference Center, city officials said. They are asking that only immediate family and emergency contacts for people who were in the store go to the center.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire
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