We have an active shooter. We have an after er ending queer list a
mass casualty Welcome to Active Shooter, a podcast that covers the wise, the
house and the aftermath of active shooter and mass casualty events. They have an
active shooter in the building. Attacking calls says they are vagor tax one six
nineteenies. We got John Squire at four fifteen eight at a Route ninety one.
So I'm like automatic quier on active shooter. Courts of an active shooter,
active shooter, active shooter in mass casualty incidents. Thank you for listening.
You are listening to Active Shooter, a podcast that may contain adult themes,
explicit language, and graphic depictions of violence. Portions of the show may
be traumatic for those under eighteen. Listener discretion is advised. We are coming
on the air early with breaking news. Unfortunately, another mass shooting in this
country. Yeah, gunman opening fire inside a Walmart store in Chesapeake, Virginia
overnight, killing at least six people. The news is still unfolding this morning.
We want to go right to NBC's Cal Perry. He is at the
scene in cal Good morning, what is the latest you've heard Savanna, Good
morning to you. The shooting taking place about eight hours ago. The priority
from officials was to clear the walmart behind me. They were worried that people,
as they were instructed to do, would be sheltering in place. Now
at this hour, at least seven people are confirmed dead, including the gunman.
Police saying they are aware that there are reports that the gunman may have
been an employee of the walmart behind me. We are not confirm that as
of yet. It's an unimaginable scenario waking up on an ordinary Tuesday morning,
going to work as you normally do five to seven days each week, and
facing a kind of violence that takes your life, or perhaps worse, having
a loved one wake up on a typical Tuesday, go to work and never
return because of gun violence. So many of us are ordinary folks who live
regular lives and simply cannot fathom the very real possibility of finding themselves in an
active shooting, the very real possibility of losing a family member in such a
dark and horrific manner. The shooting at the Chesapeake Walmart took the lives of
six employees who never imagined that their last day alive would be at the hands
of a man they interacted with day in and day out. Seven injured survivors
never land to have their entire world flipped upside down and forced to piece back
the damaged parts of their souls. Countless families did not expect to be impacted
by the malicious and evil actions of one man. Today's case is dedicated to
the lives and memories of the seven injured survivors, as well as the six
Randy Blevins, Fernando Jesus Chavez, Baron, Tanika Johnson, Lorenzo Gamble,
Brian Pendleton, and Kelly Pyle. Active Shooter the podcast is a High five
Holly production, and I'm your host JT. If you've listened to our prior
episodes, you know that the Active Shooter podcast team has taken the no Notoriety
pledge and we will not be sharing the real name of the shooters that we
cover. We will be giving the shooters a pseudonym and refer to them by
that name throughout the episode. This will help in clearing up any confusion in
the story. While remaining true to our pledge and not naming the shooter by
their actual name. We will refer to today's shooter as Jeff. Around ten
pm on November twenty second, twenty twenty two, the Walmart supercenter located at
fifteen twenty one Sam Circle, Chesapeake, Virginia, was alive with activity.
The third shifters were just clocking in for the night shift and expected to be
especially busy with Thanksgiving and subsequently Black Friday mere days away. The store was
still open to the public, and local shoppers from Virginia's second largest city of
approximately two hundred and fifty thousand full time residents were ushering in and out of
the store, many of whom were likely shopping for their extensive Thanksgiving Day meals.
It was a pleasant evening, with temperatures in the mid to low fifties,
even so late into the night. Thirty one year old night shift manager
Jeff entered the store at ten twelve pm and, by all appearances, seemed
to be a regular guy who was showing up for a regular work shift.
The unassuming five foot ten inch man blended in among the customers entering and exiting
the store. He didn't wear the ballistics vest or other armor we have come
to see so often in mass shooters. He carried a nine millimeter handgun with
several magazines filled with ammunition. Jeff had purchased the gun that very morning and
immediately went for target practice, which was confirmed when police would later discover shooting
targets inside Jeff's car. Jeff headed straight towards the employee break room, which
is where he always went at the start of each shift. Just moments before
Jeff made it to the break room, a team lead was finishing up their
nightly instructions before they were overheard saying, quote, all right, guys,
we have a late night ahead of us. Before all hell broke loose.
Well, I was literally just getting to work. Our shift is from ten
to seven, ten pm to seven am. I got there a few minutes
late, about ten h six is when I clocked in on my phone.
I walked to the break room like normal, that's where we have our nightly
meeting of where everyone's going to be, you know, stocking their particular section,
and you know, I'm just standing there. There were a few things
that seemed like off to me about that whole night that just they stick out
more to me now that that situation has happened, Like just different things like
the maintenance man who actually the first person to end up getting hit. He
actually went around the entire room and gave every when trash bags, which he
doesn't normally does, so that stuck out to me. And then like when
I walked in the room, something in me told me not to sit down.
I don't know exactly what it was, but something just said, just
stand up, just stand up, and I just stood up the entire time.
As soon as the team lead said he was about to get the meeting
started, he said, all right, guys, we have a really light
night tonight. And as soon as he said that, the supervite or the
manager just came around the corner and literally just opened fire and just started swaying
his arm back and forth. He didn't have a target, he didn't you
know, He wasn't aiming for anybody specifically. He literally was just shooting across
the entire break room. There were about fifty people inside the walmart and about
thirteen employees in the breakroom when the shooting started. The employees in the break
room were all sitting ducks, particularly since this shooter had specific targets in mind.
Plus, Jeff would have known that the employees would be gathered there in
order to receive their assignments for the night. Additionally, the break room is
where employees punch in and out, and as the name implies, employees often
took breaks in that room, so the in and out activity was frequent.
As soon as he arrived at the break room, Jeff opened fire, shooting
the weapon first at Brian Pendleton, a coworker that he targeted, though the
reason he intensely disliked the other man enough to murder him in cold blood is
both unclear and utterly inexplicable. Evidently, in early twenty twenty two, Jeff
attempted to get Brian fired. However, the reason for the firing's not clear.
Brian was subsequently terminated from employment, which left him feeling puzzled. Brian
had been a long time employee, and it doesn't seem that any concrete reason
was ever provided to him. Without thinking twice, Brian called his former supervisor
and asked for his job back, which was granted and Brian was back to
work in no time. Brian, who was only thirty eight at the time,
was murdered, suffered from a brain condition called congenital hydrocephalis, which is
a build up a fluid on the brain, and some people with this condition
can become medically disabled. Brian was employed at Walmart and had just celebrated his
ten year anniversary. He was proud of his work history with the company,
which also consisted of a custodial position at one point. Brian was a model
employee who was never late and rarely missed shifts. A lifelong Chesapeake resident,
he loved his family and telling jokes, and was simply a joyful person,
which made it all the more strange that Jeff despised him so. In fact,
Brian's mother later reported that Jeff never liked her son, though they never
fully understood why her son was a wonderful, hard working man, and the
heart broken mother will never live the same after burying her child, adult or
not. Some witnesses would later report that Jeff didn't say anything during the shooting.
Others reported that Jeff laughed through the whole ordeal, which is beyond disturbing
and unsettling. Petrified employees and customers alike began fleeing, running, and hiding
anywhere they might seek shelter. Sixteen year old Fernando Haysus Chavez barone, the
youngest of the shooting victims. Was born on December twenty fourth, two thousand
and five, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The teen who was so eager for
the responsibility of his first job was an affectionate and considerate young man, so
much so that Hayesus used the earnings from his very first paycheck to buy a
gift for his mom, which makes the senseless loss of this promising youngster so
devastating. Jesus was a junior at Oscar Smith High School, where he was
an honor roll student, which was only one of his already impressive accomplishments.
He'd achieved much in his short life, and his light was extinguished much too
soon. Jeff continued his pursuit of co workers he viciously deemed unworthy of life
when he shot and killed seventy year old Randall Randy Blevins born in Chesapeake on
September twentieth, nineteen fifty two. Randy was the oldest of the shooting victims,
but it is not clear if he was specifically targeted. Like several other
employees, he was a longtime employee of Walmart thirty years long to be exact.
Randy and his wife owned a Ben Franklin craft Store before he went to
work for the corporate giant. Randy was dedicated both to his job and his
family. He would do anything for his beloved wife, Teresa, who he
considered his very best friend. A loyal Norfolk Admiral's hockey team fan, he
was happiest watching a game and attending professional wrestling events. Randy was an incredibly
loyal man who leaves behind his soul mate Teresa, three stepdaughters, and four
brothers who will never be the same without him. Some employees say that Jeff
was purposely hunting for certain co workers and would even continue shooting at those victims
unnecessarily, but he wanted to ensure their deaths and went to disgusting lengths to
do so. A co worker named Jessica Wilcheski had only begun working for Walmart
about five days earlier. The young woman was shaking uncontrollably hiding underneath a table
when Jeff saw her and demanded she get out from under it. He took
a closer look, seeing that Jessica wasn't who he was searching for, before
ordering her to leave the store and go home. She very carefully stood exited
the room, and ran as fast as she could from the store. The
terror and trauma that this survivor must still be coping with his beyond anything one
could imagine. Lorenzo Gambole was a valued, long standing Walmart employee of fifteen
years. The forty three year old was born in Brooklyn, New York,
on August thirtieth, nineteen seventy nine. He graduated as an honor student from
Grape Ridge High School in nineteen ninety eight. Lorenzo, also known to friends
and family as Zoe, loved football. He loved to watch and talk about
the sport, and he even played fullback for a local recreational team called the
Redskins. In addition to being a mass of Washington Commander's fan, he typically
worked the overnight shift as a custodian. Family was what Lorenzo loved and would
do anything for. His wife, Sheila Monique Dolbe, a gamble and two
sons were quite literally his entire world, and theirs must feel empty without him
now. Lorenzo was also survived by three brothers and a sister. It's unclear
whether Lorenzo was an intended target, but the loss is no less excruciating.
Shoppers that didn't make it outside of the store hid anywhere they could reasonably be
concealed. One witness claimed she saw smoke exiting the firearm before seeing bodies dropped
to the ground. It was surreal seeing and hearing the chaos all around,
yet the moments probably felt like slow motion and distant in a detached sort of
way. The mind can do astonishing things when fight, flight or freeze takes
over. After the shooting in the break room, Jeff stalked the aisleways,
shooting at random. He fired another ten shots outside of the break room and
murdered fifty two year old Kelly Pyle born on August twenty ninth, nineteen seventy
and raised in Norfolk, Virginia. Kelly was recently returned to the Chesapeake area.
She had been living in Kentucky when she found her old high school flame,
Brian Baker, on Facebook. The couple rekindled their flame, so Kelly
moved back to Virginia and they planned to marry in twenty twenty three. Kelly
had two adult children and a granddaughter, and they were her reasons for living.
Kelly was a giver and nurturer, and indeed she'd been caring for her
elderly parents as their health began to decline, and she was even the caregiver
for her brother after he suffered a stroke. Such a kind hearted and giving
individual is so rare these days, and her family's loss has likely been the
most difficult to bear. Each of the six shooting victims were Walmart employees.
Two were shot and killed in the break room, while three others were shot
in unknown locations in the store. Those three were rushed to the hospital but
later died as a result of their gunshot wounds. Five patients were rushed to
Centara Norfolk General Hospital, which is the area's closest Level one trauma center.
Two of the patients later passed away, while two were listed in critical condition,
and the fifth, twenty four year old Jalen Jones, was shot and
was placed on a ventilator, but he was eventually listed as being in fair
condition and ultimately was released. Five other shooting victims were rushed to the Chesapeake
General Hospital, where one patient passed from their injuries and the other four mercifully
were treated and released. The mental anguish and trauma that those survivors live with
each and every day. It's like a massive weight, and it is our
deepest wish that they find some peace and a sense of normalcy again. One
victim, presumed to be twenty two year old Chyanika Johnson, was found near
the front of the store where she had been murdered. Tanika was born on
November first, two thousand, and attended Western Branch High School. An absolutely
stunning young woman, Tanika was alight in every room she entered, Benevolent and
dedicated to learning. Tanika dreamed of furthering her education and her family, who
was her whole world and has truly been robbed of her presence. Jeff was
seemingly finished with his rampage after the last bullets were fired inside the store,
he returned to the employee break room and further desecrated the space by turning the
weapon on himself. Jeff died of a single gunshot wound. The shooting was
over, but the damage was far from done. Because the Walmart super store
is so massive, it took police nearly forty minutes to thoroughly search the entire
building. The police response was extremely quick. The shooting began at ten twelve
pm and police were on the scene by ten fourteen. The Chesapeake Police,
Virginia Beach Police, and an FBI agent responded to the scene, and the
ATF in Washington, DC later assisted in the investigation. The scene at Walmart
was declared secure approximately an hour after the first nine one one call. A
reunification center was established at the Chesapeake Conference Center for employees and their families and
friends. By five am, about fifty people had gathered at the conference center.
The day following the shooting, November twenty third, police and ATF agents
search Jeff's house in the Ava Garden section of Crestwood, Virginia. The two
story tan home stood in a relatively quiet at neighborhood. However, the front
door of the home had been smashed in. Police found a box of ammunition,
the box, the gun was purchased in, a receipt, and other
miscellaneous paperwork. It should be noted that in September twenty nineteen, after the
Al Paso Walmart shooting, which we covered back in episode two, the store
chose to discontinue sales of a certain type of ammunition, including two twenty three
caliber and five point five six caliber ammo, handgun ammunition, and short barrel
rifle ammo. In the mid nineties, Walmart ceased selling handguns in every state
except Alaska, which ceased handgun sales in twenty nineteen. Several hunters in rural
areas depend on local Walmart stores for purchasing hunting rifles and ammunition, and as
such, sales have not discontinued in most areas, though some Walmart locations do
not sell any types of firearms. Jeff was born on May first, nineteen
ninety one, and was a lifelong resident of Chesapeake. He was transient for
many years, moving to cities in Virginia, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and
Virginia Beach, as well as Queens, New York, and San Angelo,
Texas. He was employed with the Walmart superstore since twenty ten and had as
long of standing with the company as many of his murdered co workers. Employees
say that Jeff was short with them and was known to be antagonistic. He
frequently made comments to co workers that work was draining him and complained about not
having a social life. It wasn't a complete fabrication. Jeff had no social
media presence or online activity, which so many people his age do. He
didn't get on with most anyone he worked with, although at least one employee
reported that Jeff made people laugh and enjoyed dancing. Jeff was honest about his
anger issues, and it seemed to carry over into his work life consistently.
He wrote employees up for minuscule reasons and didn't seem to really like people,
which makes it questionable as to how he maintained job working closely with others and
the public for so long. In twenty nineteen, Jeff bought his three bedroom
home, and neighbors reported that Jeff kept quiet to himself and he rarely interacted
with anyone in the neighborhood. He was mostly only noticed if he was mowing
the lawn. Despite his quick temper, Jeff had no criminal record or apparent
arrests. While employees claimed that they believed Jeff was a little paranoid, they
didn't think he was capable of violence, certainly not the kind he unleashed on
November twenty second. Jeff believed the government was watching him, so he placed
tape over the camera on his phone. He was almost fearful of being caught
on camp or noticed in some major way. One employee described a time that
she was making a video of another coworker, and while she was recording,
Jeff was captured in the peripheral of the lens and he immediately jumped out of
the way. Though he appeared on the surface to be an attentive, good
worker, Jeff had been written up at least twice by his supervisors, though
the reasons for the write ups aren't known. Jeff was quick to gossip about
employees to other employees, which almost always leads to drama of some sort,
drama that should never be perpetrated by a supervising employee. One employee that was
interviewed later indicated that employees often made fun of Jeff, picking on his hair
or clothing. They commented on his lack of social life and how he only
seemed to work and play video games. One employee expressed concern that Jeff never
appeared to have a network or support system from his family or close friends,
which seems true considering he confided in employees that he wasn't even close to that
he had a bad temper, He never talked about or to any family while
working, and he never talked about what he did over the weekend or made
that type of small talk that long time coworkers often do. Concerningly, one
employee claimed that Jeff previously stated that if he were to ever be fired,
he would come back and kill people. It was the first, or perhaps
the brightest, red flag that Jeff displayed. While he didn't leave many signs
of obviously planning this shooting for a long time, Jeff had clearly given it
some thought, for there was a manifesto located on his cell phone which detailed
harassment he felt at work and how he believed that management was planning to terminate
his employment. Names in the manifesto have been redacted by the investigating agency and
states titled note, Sorry God, I've failed you. This was not your
fault, but my own. I failed to listen to the groans of the
Holy Spirit, which made me a poor representation of you. I was harassed
by idiots with low intelligence and a lack of wisdom. I remained strong through
most of the torment, but my dignity was completely taken away beyond repair by
my phone getting hacked. I can't say that they were the only ones that
lacked intelligence and wisdom. I was just as guilty and failed my management team
and everyone that ever loved me by convincing them that I was normal, and
the associates orchestrated it. They laughed and made subtle code speeches which I eventually
figured out. I thought was my friend, but he betrayed me. Betrayal
is one of the worst feelings next to regret. They laughed at me and
said that I was Jeffrey Dahmer. I would have never killed anyone that entered
my home. A few months back, I had overheard talking to me and
he told me that he had been trying to get rid of me since day
one. After I heard that, I lashed out. The associates gave me
evil twisted grins, mocked me, and celebrated my downfall. The last day,
That's why they suffered the same fate as me. From maintenance was a
manting with the Holy Spirit, which I could feel. People thought that she
was crazy for walking out, but unlike me, she actually listened to the
Holy Spirit like new They were antagonizing me, so one day she approached me
and personnel and apologized to me. On her last day, she looked me
in the eyes, terrified by a demonic aura. My true intent was never
to murder anyone, believe it or not, I was actually one of the
most loving people in the world if you would get to know me. I
just wanted a wife that was equally yoked as I and obsessed over the thought.
However, I didn't deserve a wife. I hope that people will learn
from everyone's mistakes and truly love God and not the material possessions of the world.
My only wish would have been to start over from scratch and that my
parents would have paid closer attention to my social deficits. Sorry everyone, but
I did not play in this. I promised things just fell in place like
guy was led by Satan. I have written songs in the past, though
I only did it when I realized that my phone was hacked and was giving
the worst feeling imaginable. I wish that I could have saved everyone from myself.
I will spare because I have a special place for her in my heart
because my mother died from cancer. Please let everyone know that bitter seed apricots
are the cure for cancer and not the doctor. My God forgive me for
what I do. Several Walmart employees filed lawsuits against the company, stating that
they warned management about the shooter and issues that they were having, including one
who claimed to have filed a complaint with supervisors about the shooter, who was
the employee's direct supervisor. The employee said that the shooter was harassing him and
displayed intimidating behaviors. The employee said that the shooter told him quote, I
don't care how big you are. I have something to take care of that.
Walmart allegedly failed to investigate or take action. Another employee filed suit saying
that her mom reported the shooter to upper management because her daughter was scared of
the shooter. Again, no action was taken. Walmart reopened on April nineteenth,
twenty twenty three, or about five months post shooting. The store underwent
substantial changes in design, and an outdoor memorial was erected to honor the victims
and hopefully provide a place of comfort rather than hurt and pain. The area
will include local foliage and will include six sitting structures, one for each shooting
victim. The store has been described as the quote store of the future and
will have interactive features as well as displays meant to engage customers and create a
more immersive shopping experience. We all have the unicability to help prevent such a
catastrophic event from happening. If we keep our eyes and ears open and never
hesitate to report when something or someone just doesn't seem right. With the delicate
balance of mental health reform, education, active shooter training, and common sense
gun laws, we may one day realize the dream, the dream that there
will be no more active shooting. We pray that love will prevail over hate.
Too many have died, we should say to ourselves, not one more.
In the meantime, we urge our listeners to stay aware of your surroundings
and keep in touch with your loved ones. If you see something, say
something, you never know how many lives you'll be saving. Thank you for
listening to today's episode of Active Shooter the Podcast. Remember if you see something,
say something, there's no telling how many lives you may be saving.
A big thank you to Darren Curtis, who composed some of the songs on
our show. You can find him online at www dot Darren Curtis music dot
com. Make sure to check us out on social media. You can find
us on Facebook at Active Shooter the Podcast and on Twitter at podcast Active.
Thank you and be safe.