The prime suspect in the mass shooting that left six people dead at a Walmart Supercenter in Chesapeake, Virginia, left a “death note” addressed to God on his phone, police said Friday.
Andre Bing, 31, said that his actions were not planned, but things had fallen into place like he was being led by Satan, in the rambling note that was released by the Chesapeake Police Department on Friday. Bing added that he had failed to listen to the Holy Spirit.
In the document, Bing also said that he had lost his dignity after his phone was hacked.
Signing off, he asked for God’s forgiveness for what he was about to do.
Police said in a statement that they found the note when “detectives conducted a forensic analysis of the suspect’s phone which was located at the scene.”
The force could not say when the note was written and a motive in the deadly shooting was not immediately clear.
Bing, a longtime Walmart employee, opened fire at the store on Tuesday, killing six people and injuring several others before dying of a self-inflicted wound.
He was found dead in a break room with two other fatalities, the city of Chesapeake tweeted Wednesday. Another victim was found dead near the front of the store and the three other shooting victims were rushed to local hospitals but died later from their injuries, city officials said.
“The suspect used a 9mm handgun,” police said in Friday’s statement, adding that it was “legally purchased from a local store” on Tuesday morning.
A box of ammunition “and various items in reference to the 9 mm handgun,” were also found at his house, the statement said.
Two people remained in the hospital, one in critical condition, while the other’s condition was improving, the statement added.
Asked by The Associated Press to comment on Bing’s note, Walmart said in a statement: “There is nothing that can justify taking innocent lives. Our focus continues to be on the families who are grieving and supporting our associates through this difficult time.”
In a separate statement Wednesday, Walmart said Bing had been an overnight team leader who had been with the company since 2010.
Describing Bing as "weird," Shaundrayia Reese, 27, also said Wednesday that she worked at the store from late 2014 to 2018, spending her four years working on the overnight stock team with him.
She said Bing “didn’t do social media” and in a video she had once taken of her co-workers, Bing “kind of jumped out of the way” to avoid being on camera.
However, Reese said that while he “was a little off,” he had not talked about violence.
A vigil for those who died in the shooting will be held on Monday at 6 p.m. at City Park in Chesapeake “so that we can honor the victims and grieve together,” the city of Chesapeake said in a tweet.
“Today we are focused only on those hurt by Tuesday’s tragic event, but the police investigation continues,” the city said.
