CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A note police found on the phone of the gunman who shot and killed six people before killing himself at a Chesapeake Walmart Tuesday was filled with complaints about co-workers and ramblings about his phone being hacked.
Police released the note on Friday. It was found on the phone of Andre Bing, who Chesapeake police say shot and killed six people and wounded four others at the Walmart on Sam’s Circle in Chesapeake. In the note, which was found at the scene of the crime, the gunman said he felt “harassed” and “mocked” by associates at the store. It also said he believed his phone had been hacked.
The gunman ended the note by writing, “My God forgive me for what I’m going to do...”
In the note, the shooter named individuals he felt had either betrayed him or had been “antagonizing” him. Police redacted the names of those individuals from the copy shared with the public.
At one point, the shooter wrote he had overheard two people talking and one had told him that someone had been “trying to get rid of me since day one.”
The shooter described how he believed some of the Walmart associates spoke in code about him and gave him “evil twisted grins.” The “holy spirit” is referenced several times, and he also described how one person had come to apologize to him and she “looked me in the eyes terrified by a demonic aura.”
In the note, the shooter said his “true intent was never to murder anyone believe it or not.” He also stated his intent to spare one woman, whose name was redacted.
It also stated that his mother had died from cancer.
Police confirmed the gunman used a 9mm handgun, which had been purchased legally from a local store the day of the shooting. Police also reportedly found a box of ammunition and a receipt and other paperwork related to the handgun. The shooter had no criminal history.
Walmart confirmed the gunman was an overnight team lead at the store and had worked for the company since 2010.
Former and current co-workers had described a tense relationship with the shooter, one describing him as “always negative.”
Janis Strausburg, 48, of Chesapeake, had worked maintenance at the Walmart until June. She told The Virginian-Pilot that the shooter would often try to get managers in trouble, though she could not remember what he intended to get them in trouble for.
She also said the shooting coincided with a shift change. At that time, several employees would meet in the break room or in the back hallway. The break room was also the area where employees would clock in and out, according to Strausburg.
One employee, Briana Tyler, also noted that Bing “just looked for little things to go about, because he had the authority.”
Tyler, who started at Walmart two months ago, said the shooting took place just before a meeting with the overnight stocking team — approximately 15 to 20 people. Tyler said the shooter did not appear to be aiming at anyone in particular.
“He was just shooting all throughout the room. It didn’t matter who he hit. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t look at anybody in any specific type of way,” Tyler said.
Three victims and the shooter died at the scene. Three more victims were transported to local hospitals where they later succumbed to their injuries. Three others were hospitalized. Police on Friday said two remained in area hospitals, one in critical condition and the other improving.
In a statement released Friday, Walmart spokesperson Charles Crowson wrote, “There is nothing that can justify taking innocent lives. Our focus continues to be on the families who are grieving and supporting our associates through this difficult time.”
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