Man shoots woman, kills self at Wal-Mart centre

Ohio Standard (IANS) Wednesday 22nd February, 2012

A 40-year-old woman manager at a Wal-Mart distribution centre in the US state of Virginia was shot at by an employee who later killed himself when confronted by police Wednesday, officials said.

The shooting took place at a facility in Dinwiddie county, around 50 km south of state capital Richmond, Xinhua reported citing the ocal WRIC TV, which serves the Richmond-Petersburg area.

Officials said a woman suffered injuries described as "not life-threatening" while the suspected male shooter killed himself.

A report said the woman was the manager of the centre and the 32-year-old man shot her in the leg.

When law-enforcement officers responded to an emergency call, they saw the man outside the facility, and were shot at by him with a handgun.

The man then fatally shot himself in the chest. Neither his nor the woman's names were released. The woman victim was air-lifted to a nearby hospital.

The motive behind the shooting remained unclear.

After the shooting, police locked down the facility and a nearby school as a precautionary measure.

The distribution centre employs about 600 people, serving 72 stores and has been in the county for 20 years.