a walmart employee who survived last week’s mass shooting has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the company for employing the shooter at a store in Virginia — a store supervisor — “who was known for violence, threats and strange behavior.”
The lawsuit, which appears to be the first to arise from the shooting, was filed Tuesday in Chesapeake Circuit Court by Donna Priolue.
Walmart, which is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, said in a statement that it was reviewing the complaint and would respond “as appropriate to the court.”
“The entire Walmart family is heartbroken by the loss of a valuable member of our team,” the company said. “Our deepest sympathies are with our partners and all those affected, including those who were injured. We are focused on supporting all of our partners with critical resources, including counseling.”
Priolue’s suit alleges that she experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, which includes physical and emotional distress. Stampede in the store’s breakroom on November 22, Her lawsuit provides fresh details of the horrific attack and a long list of troubling signs displayed by the shooter that she claims managers failed to address.
“Bullets were fired from the face and left side of plaintiff Donya Priolue, barely missing her,” the lawsuit states. “He saw many of his co-workers brutally murdered on either side of him.”
The lawsuit continues: “Ms. Prioleo looked into the eyes of a co-worker just after she was shot in the neck. Ms. Prioleo looked at her co-worker’s neck from a bullet wound, bleeding, and looked at her in bewilderment. on the helpless face of the co-worker.”
Store Supervisor Andre Bing31, fatally shot six employees and wounded several others before he died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
The lawsuit alleges that Bing “had a personal vendetta against several Walmart employees and kept a ‘kill list’ of potential targets prior to the shooting.”
The list is in reference to “Death Note”. Bing’s phone and was released by authorities on Friday. The note contained specific references to people he had worked with, but officials changed their names.
Bing was a Walmart team leader who had worked for the company since 2010. He was responsible for managing the overnight stocking crew, including Priolue, who began his work in May 2021, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit claims that management knew or should have known about Bing’s troubling behavior and lists several examples of dangerous conduct.
“Prior to the shooting, Mr. Bing repeatedly asked co-workers whether he had received his active shooter training,” the suit states. “When colleagues replied that they had, Mr. Bing simply smiled and walked away without saying anything.”
Bing “suggested to other Walmart employees and managers that he would be violent if fired or disciplined,” according to the suit, which also says that Bing was “disciplined for the shooting, which led to his violent outbursts.” could have been inferred.”
In another instance, Bing told co-workers “he ran over a turtle with the lawn mower, just to see that his[guts]spray out, which made him hungry and made him want ramen noodles.” Missed it,” Sue says.
Bing had previously been disciplined for bad behavior and harassing employees, but Walmart “hired him anyway,” the suit says.
In her court filing, Priolu said she and her mother attempted to take action against Bing.
The lawsuit states that Priolue filed a formal complaint on the Walmart Global Ethics Statement Form, saying that Bing “made bizarre and inappropriate comments on Ms. Priolue’s age.”
The lawsuit alleges that Bing told her: “Isn’t your lady clock ticking? Shouldn’t you be having kids?”
Prioleau also complained that Bing berated her for “being poor and being small,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit says she also told Walmart that Bing called her a “bitch” under his breath.
The lawsuit states that in September, Priolue’s mother expressed concerns about her daughter’s safety to a Walmart manager “as it appeared that her concerns were falling on deaf ears.”
The manager said “nothing could be done about Mr. Bing because he was preferred by management,” according to the suit.
The suit says that before the shooting, Bing told co-workers that “the government was watching him.” “He had put black tape on his phone camera so that no one could spy on him.”
In a note left on his phone, Bing claimed he was harassed and said he was pushed to the brink by the notion that his phone had been hacked. The note also accused colleagues of making fun of him.
Bing’s Death Note runs through 11 paragraphs several times, making references to non-traditional cancer treatment and songwriting. He says that people unfairly compared him to serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
Jessica Wilczewski, a Walmart employee who witnessed the shooting, told The Associated Press last week that Bing appears to be targeting certain people,
“The way he was acting – he was going hunting,” she said.
In a note to employees on TuesdayWalmart chairman and CEO John Furner wrote that those killed were “wonderful, irreplaceable members of our family.”
“The Walmart Foundation also intends to contribute $1 million to the United Way of South Hampton Roads Hope and Healing Fund, which will support those affected by the shooting and the wider Chesapeake community,” Furner wrote.