US state of Virginia: seven people killed in an American supermarket

In the US state of Virginia, an attacker killed seven people in a supermarket. Authorities said he shot branch staff and customers. The alleged shooter then died.

Several people have been killed in an attack on a supermarket in Virginia, police said. The incident occurred in the city of Chesapeake. The east coast city government announced on Twitter that there were a total of seven deaths. Including the suspected shooter. According to local media reports, at least five other people were injured and taken to hospital.

Detectives search supermarket: perpetrators may be addicted

Police received an emergency call at around 10pm local time, the spokesman said. Upon entering the building, officials found “several dead and several injured”. It’s a very big deal, the search for other possible victims is still ongoing. The supermarket was still full at the time of the crime, because the Thanksgiving holiday is coming up in the United States.

No information was given about the possible motive. It is also unclear how the alleged perpetrator died. There was a suspicion that he might have taken his own life. The police spokesman said that, to his knowledge, the officers had not been hit. US media recordings showed a large police presence at the scene. The operator of the Walmart supermarket said in an initial reaction that he was shocked by the “tragic event”.

The CNN broadcaster reported, quoting the investigators, that the perpetrator of the crime may have been an employee or a former employee. He shot his victims in a break room and then committed suicide with a handgun. The police have so far not provided more detailed information on the matter, only stating that the officers did not shoot the perpetrator.

Senator calls for an end to the gun violence epidemic

Chesapeake Senator Louise Lucas called on Twitter to end the gun violence epidemic in the United States.

Just days earlier, five people were killed and 18 others injured at a nightclub popular with the gay, lesbian and transgender communities in Colorado. A week earlier, a student shot and killed three people on the University of Virginia campus.

The number of people killed by firearms in the United States was 20,329 in 2021. US President Biden and the Democratic Party have repeatedly called for tougher gun laws, but have so far failed due to opposition from Republicans. In the United States, 42% of households own handguns and it is estimated that nearly 400 million handguns are currently in private ownership.