A Virginia Walmart shooting survivor says she reported 'disturbing and threatening behavior' from the gunman — but the superstore let him keep working there
The employee's lawsuit alleges Walmart knew about the gunman's "threatening behavior" before he shot and killed six people.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
- A woman who survived the Virginia Walmart shooting claims she reported the gunman's behavior to the store but they let him keep working there.
- The gunman "demonstrated a pattern of disturbing behavior leading up to the shooting, which Walmart knew, or should have known," the lawsuit states.
- She alleges that she and other coworkers were concerned about the man before the shooting that left six dead.
A woman who works at the Chesapeake, Virginia, Walmart where a gunman opened fire and killed six people last week alleges that she had reported his "disturbing and threatening behavior" to the store — but they let him work there anyway.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Chesapeake Circuit Court, Donya Prioleau claimed the gunman — who had been working at the Walmart since 2010 — has been "disciplined on several occasions" and was "demoted by management for his improper and disturbing interactions with others," before being reinstated as a team lead.
The gunman "demonstrated a pattern of disturbing behavior leading up to the shooting, which Walmart knew, or should have known," according to the lawsuit filed against Walmart by law firm Morgan & Morgan on behalf of Prioleau.
Walmart did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Prioleau alleges she submitted a formal complaint on September 10, 2022, to Walmart that the gunman had "bizarrely and inappropriately commented on Ms. Prioleau's age" and that he called her a "bitch" in passing.
The lawsuit goes on to allege that "many" employees at the Walmart had "observed [the gunman] exhibit bizarre and threatening behavior leading up to the shooting."
"Walmart's management... had received numerous reports that Mr. Bing was bullying, threatening, and harassing other employees," the lawsuit said.
Prioleau is asking for Walmart to pay $50 million in compensatory damages as well as other costs. She said that she has experienced psychological harm, sleeplessness, severe anxiety, stomach pain, and arm and knee injuries as a result of the shooting.