Survivor of Virginia Walmart mass shooting files $50M lawsuit against company

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) – A survivor of the deadly mass shooting at a Walmart supermarket in the US state of Virginia last week has sued the company.

Donya Prioleau, who filed a $50 million lawsuit on Tuesday in a Virginia state court, alleged that she and other employees warned Walmart management about the attacker but nothing was done.

Prioleau said she worked as an overnight stocker with Andre Bing, the man accused of killing six co-workers on Nov. 22 after opening fire in a Walmart breakroom in Chesapeake before killing himself.

The lawsuit alleged that Prioleau has experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, including physical and emotional distress, from witnessing the rampage.

It also provides a long list of troubling signs displayed by the attacker that Prioleau claims managers failed to address.

Walmart, which is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, said in a statement that it was reviewing the complaint and will respond “as appropriate with the court.”

“The entire Walmart family is heartbroken by the loss of the valued members of our team,” the company said. “Our deepest sympathies go out to our associates and everyone impacted, including those who were injured. We are focused on supporting all our associates with significant resources, including counseling,” it added.

The shooting took place at a Walmart in Chesapeake, the country's largest grocery retailer. Officers responded to a report of a shooting at around 10.12 p.m. local time on Nov. 22.

Police Chief Mark Solesky told reporters that the gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Chesapeake is located in southern Virginia’s coastal Hampton Roads region, which includes the cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

The shooting followed another mass killing late Saturday night on Nov. 19 that hit an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where five people were killed.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, the US has recorded more than 600 mass shootings in 2022, CNN reported.