CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WRIC) — One of the victims of the mass shooting at a Chesapeake Walmart in November has filed her lawsuit against the store for a second time.
On Nov. 22, 2022, 31-year-old Andre Bing, a manager at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, opened fire in the store’s break room, killing six people and injuring six others before killing himself.
Briana Tyler, open of the employees who survived the shooting, filed a $50 million lawsuit against Walmart at the end of November. The lawsuit stated that the company was aware of Bing’s “violent tendencies towards co-workers” but hired him anyways. The suit also said that after the shooting, Tyler suffered injuries to her legs and chest and dealt with night fright, paranoia and several new fears.
A judge threw out the first lawsuit in April, stating there wasn’t enough evidence to move forward because there is no proof Tyler and the shooter had a relationship outside of work. Therefore, the shooting could not be a “personal attack.”
According to reporting from 13News Now, Tyler’s new lawsuit includes new details supporting the idea she was specifically targeted by Bing. The suit claims the shooter looked her in the eyes before he pointed his gun at her.
Also according to 13News Now, the new filing adds simple negligence and willful and wanton negligence to the charges against the Walmart. This is in addition to the negligent retention, respondent superior liability, gross negligence and attempted murder charges against the shooter’s estate that were included in the first suit.
Walmart employees Donya Prioleau and James Kelly both filed their own lawsuits at the end of 2022. These suits have also been dropped, but have not yet been refiled.
