Employee injured in Virginia Walmart shooting sues retailer for $50M

The overnight manager who shot and killed six of his coworkers last week at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, had a “long-standing pattern of disturbing and threatening behavior” that was largely ignored by the retailer, an employee injured in the shooting said in a lawsuit filed this week in Chesapeake Circuit Court.

Donya Prioleau, who was injured during the attack, is suing Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart for $50 million in compensatory damages, plus other costs. Prioleau is requesting a jury trial.

Walmart, in a statement to WGB, said it is reviewing the lawsuit.

“The entire Walmart family is heartbroken by the loss of the valued members of our team,” the retailer 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. We are reviewing the complaint and will be responding as appropriate with the court.”

Prioleau has worked at Walmart as an overnight stocker and trainer since May 2021, according to her lawsuit.

Andre Bing, the gunman who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound following the attack on Nov. 22, had worked at Walmart for a decade and “demonstrated a pattern of disturbing behavior leading up to the shooting, which Walmart knew, or should have known,” the suit said.

In September, Prioleau submitted a formal complaint on a Walmart Global Ethics Statement form, noting some of Bing’s inappropriate comments, including remarks made about her age, income status and stature, court documents said.

That same month, Prioleau’s mother went to the Walmart store to speak to the manager because she was so concerned about her daughter’s safety and felt the issues were “falling on deaf ears,” the lawsuit said, adding that she was told there was nothing to be done about Bing’s behavior “because he was liked by management.”

According to court documents, Bing also had previously told store employees, including managers, that he would retaliate if he was fired and that “people will remember my name.”

He asked his coworkers if they’d received active-shooter training from Walmart.

“When coworkers responded that they had, Mr. Bing just smiled and walked away without saying anything,” the lawsuit said.

Prioleau’s lawsuit said she has suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the shooting.

Walmart this week said it would pay the funeral expenses for the six employees killed in the shooting, as well as continue to pay the wages for all employees at the Chesapeake store as it remains closed for the foreseeable future.