Due to Walmart’s dimension and geographic attain — it has greater than 4,000 shops unfold throughout the USA — the retailer is commonly the positioning of crimes, a few of them violent. Through the coronavirus pandemic, some retailers and their staff have stated, violence elevated in all varieties of shops.
Walmart has stated that it has taken steps to bolster safety in some shops, comparable to putting in cameras in parking heaps and hiring off-duty cops throughout busy purchasing days.
The shop has additionally ceaselessly been on the middle of the talk over gun violence. Though the chain sells weapons, Walmart has imposed more and more strict restrictions on firearm gross sales within the wake of mass shootings. Lately, it stopped promoting handguns and sure rifles, together with AR-15s, and raised the minimal age to buy firearms to 21.
In Chesapeake, the Walmart supplied a hub for a lot of residents. Some folks interviewed on Wednesday stated they visited simply days earlier than, getting ready for Thanksgiving. Others stated they’d deliberate to go to both the evening of the capturing or later within the week.
By late Wednesday, two victims remained in important situation, hospital officers stated. Considered one of them was Sarah Walker, a Walmart worker and mom of three, who suffered 5 gunshot wounds, in keeping with Jennie Walp, a buddy of Ms. Walker’s.
“She was all the time a drive to be reckoned with, decided to work arduous to supply for her youngsters, and all the time good for fun,” Ms. Walp stated. “It’s undoubtedly surprising to have it hit so near residence, with the continued violence that continues to occur throughout our nation.”
Reporting was contributed by Michael Corkery, Maggie Astor, Jesus Jimenez, Christine Chung, Jenna Russell and Wealthy Griset. Kitty Bennett contributed analysis.