Walmart

They Were Aware of the Danger and Still Did NOTHING

As alleged by one of the survivors, the brutal Chesapeake, Virginia Walmart massacre could have been prevented. Donya Prioleau filed a lawsuit against the company on Tuesday, November 29. She accuses the retail giant of “being negligent by hiring and continuing to employ the suspected shooter despite its knowledge of his alleged disturbing interactions with staff.” On top of that is “a written complaint the victim submitted to the company about the suspect’s behavior more than two months before the shooting.

Walmart management implicated

According to the complaint, Walmart “knew or should have known” about Andre Bing’s “violent propensities.” Local store management failed to “enact any preventative measures” to keep customers, as well as employees “safe.” Bing had been an employee since 2010. When he opened fire on unsuspecting fellow workers, trapped in the break room, on November 22, he killed six and injured several more. Then, he turned the brand new 9mm on himself.

Management knew or should have known “about Mr. Bing’s disturbing and threatening behavior, but failed to terminate Mr. Bing, restrict his access to common areas, conduct a thorough background investigation, or subject him to a mental health examination.

Prioleau had worked at that same store for the past year and then some. She was in the break room when the killing spree happened and lived to tell the tale. The only physical injuries she sustained were scrapes to her knee and elbow as she tripped while escaping.

The severe trauma of being shot at is something only $50 million can help her live with, her attorney alleges, expecting a $17 million or so cut, for having his paralegal type up the suit. Walmart may have deep pockets but they aren’t that deep. Proving those allegations aren’t as easy as it may seem on the surface and punitive damages to justify such an award even harder. He’ll probably cheerfully settle for a whole lot less. Realistically, he and his client can still expect to haul in quite a pile.

Corporate honchos are beside themselves. They are and always have been a family oriented company. Unfortunately they can’t be everywhere at once and all of their store management teams aren’t always up to the highest standards. Every other major corporation has the same problem.

The entire Walmart family is heartbroken by the loss of the valued members of our team. 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.

Prior disturbing comments

The break room massacre may have been a huge tragedy but it wasn’t a totally isolated incident. There were allegedly more than enough warning signs that trouble was brewing for management to take definitive action. Some of them may not seem especially troubling on their own but they obviously added up to be a big deal.

For instance, Bing once asked Prioleau “if she liked guns.” He asked other Walmart co-workers “if they had received active shooter training.” The lawsuit finally gets to the meat when it mentions Bing had a “personal vendetta against several Walmart employees and kept a ‘kill list‘ of potential targets prior to the shooting.” To back that up, the lawyer cites “evidence gathered by law enforcement.

One of the brightest of the neon red flags were when Bing “told store employees, including managers, that if he were ever fired, he would retaliate.” He predicted that “people will remember my name.” They will, now.

Walmart

Prioleau put her concerns in writing. Along with “bizarre and threatening behavior,” she informed Walmart on September 10, Bing had “harassed her for ‘being poor and being short,‘ commented on her age and called her a ‘b****‘ under his breath as she walked past.

That right there “put Walmart on notice that Mr. Bing was violent and could harm others.” He hopes a jury will see it that way, too. Management “acknowledged the complaint but then continued to employ the suspect as a shift lead.” That’s when her mom got involved.

Prioleau’s mother allegedly came to the store to speak with the store manager, Alysia Mixon, because she was concerned for her daughter’s safety, but Mixon told her ‘there was nothing that could be done about Mr. Bing because he was liked by management.” They love him now. Not only that, “Bing had been previously disciplined ‘on several occasions‘ and demoted by management for his cruel and inappropriate behavior ‘making his violent outburst predictable,‘ the lawsuit alleged.

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