A Walmart employee injured in a mass shooting at a Virginia store last week has filed a $50m lawsuit against the company, alleging the gunman exhibited threatening behavior months before he killed six people.
Donya Prioleau, an employee of the Walmart in Chesapeake, said in the lawsuit, filed on Thursday, the store should have been aware of problems with Andre Bing’s behavior given numerous reports including a formal complaint filed by Prioleau on 10 September, NBC News reported.
In that complaint, Prioleau reported that Bing made a “bizarre and inappropriate comment” about her age, asking: “Isn’t your lady clock ticking? Shouldn’t you be having kids?”
Prioleau said Bing called her a “bitch” and harassed her about being low-income and short, the Washington Post reported.
In a separate incident, Bing allegedly asked Prioleau if she liked firearms.
On the same day Prioleau filed the complaint, her mother visited the store to express her concern for her daughter’s safety. According to the suit, Prioleau’s mother was told by a Walmart manager nothing could be done given that Bing was liked by management.
Other employees filed complaints, reporting bullying, harassment and other threats. Bing allegedly told other employees he would retaliate if fired. He also repeatedly asked co-workers if they had attended active shooter training.
“When co-workers responded that they had, Mr Bing just smiled and walked away without saying anything,” read the suit.
“Upon information and belief, Mr Bing had a personal vendetta against several Walmart employees and kept a ‘kill list’ of potential targets prior to the shooting.”
At one point, the gunman was demoted for “improper and disturbing interactions” with co-workers, the lawsuit said, only to be reinstated as a team leader.
Last Tuesday, the gunman entered the Walmart store and began shooting colleagues in the break room. The gunman shot himself, police said.
