A gunman shot and killed multiple people in a Walmart store late Tuesday in the US state of Virginia, police said, adding that the single shooter suspect is also dead.

The outburst of gun violence in the city of Chesapeake comes just before Americans celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, and follows another mass shooting at an LGBTQ club in Colorado late Saturday that left five people dead.

“We were able to find multiple fatalities and multiple injured parties,” Chesapeake Police Department officer Leo Kosinski told reporters at the scene, saying rapid response officers and tactical teams entered the store “immediately” after arriving on the scene.

“We believe it is a single shooter and that single shooter is deceased at this time,” he said, without clarifying how the suspected shooter died.

Emergency calls were first made just after 10:00 pm Tuesday (0300 GMT Wednesday), while the store was still open.

News footage showed a major police presence at the scene with Kosinski saying several officers and investigators were carefully sweeping the store and securing the area.

The exact number of fatalities remained unclear. Kosinski told reporters that police believed no more than 10 people were killed.

Walmart, the largest retailer in the United States, issued a statement early Wednesday saying: “We are shocked at this tragic event.”

The company added that it was “praying for those impacted, the community and our associates. We’re working closely with law enforcement, and we are focused on supporting our associates.”

AFP

Donald Trump pulled the trigger on a third White House run on Tuesday night, setting the stage for a bruising Republican nomination battle after a poor midterm election showing by his hand-picked candidates weakened his grip on the party.

Trump officially launched a campaign for president in 2024, filing papers with the Federal Election Commission in which he declared himself a candidate for the presidency and established a new campaign committee.

Trump is expected to give a speech later in the evening at his Florida private club, Mar-a-Lago.

“America’s comeback starts right now,” the 76-year-old former US President told hundreds of supporters gathered in an ornate American flag-draped ballroom at his palatial Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

“The voting will be much different. Are you getting ready?” Trump said.

“This will not be my campaign. This will be our campaign all together,” he said to the cheering crowd.

Agence France-Presse reports that Trump’s unusually early entry into the White House race is being seen in Washington as an attempt to get the jump on other Republicans seeking to be the party flag-bearer in 2024 – and to stave off potential criminal charges.

Republicans are licking their wounds after disappointing midterms, widely blamed on the underperformance of Trump-anointed candidates, and some are openly asking whether Trump – with his divisive brand of politics and mess of legal woes – is the right person to carry the party colors next time around.

Several possible 2024 primary rivals are circling, chief among them the governor of Florida Ron DeSantis, who bucked the tide and won a resounding reelection victory on November 8.

Trump, who lost the 2020 elections to Democrat Joe Biden after being impeached twice by the House of Representatives, launches his latest White House bid with several potential handicaps.

He is the target of multiple investigations into his conduct before, during and after his first term as president – which could ultimately result in his disqualification.

These include allegations of fraud by his family business, his role in last year’s attack on the US Capitol, his attempt to overturn the 2020 elections, and his stashing of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

With Trump now a declared candidate, Biden’s attorney general, Merrick Garland, may be forced to name a special counsel to pursue the various investigations into the former president launched by the Department of Justice.

The Punch

What a great day of honour and glamour it turned out to be when Africans and African in Diaspora gathered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA for the Pan-African American Leadership Award ( PAALA).

Apart from the colourful nature of the occasion that unfolded at the Holiday Inn, Atlanta Rosewell, history was also made as this was its maiden edition.

Attended by leading politicians, technocrats and business moguls from across the world, the event was exclusively designed to celebrate and recognize exceptional leaders of African descent and their contribution to the growth of African American communities in the United States of America and the African continent, which is in line with resolutions of Pan African congresses for the benefit of black heritage.

Apart from the inspirational speeches and excellent networking opportunities, the major highlight of the ceremony was the awards segment with awardees such as: Senator Donzella James Robinson, H.E. Nomusa Dube-Ncube, Amb. (Dr) Amina Smaila, Aare Dele Momodu Gwendoline Deavor, Mr. Atai Albert, Dr. Sona Konate, Uwem Inyang, Linda Middleton, Andre Dickens, Dolapo Akinropo, Dr. Florence Fasan, Dr Jeffrey Obomeghie, Anthony Waadah and Soweto Street Beat.

According to Elisha Attai, the Executive Producer, Pan African American Leadership Award is an initiative of African Women in Leadership Organisation (AWLO) to preserve the ideals of Pan Africanism ideals.

According to him “PAALA set the tone for the sustainability of shared value for africapitalism, sustained democracy, and the global competitiveness of the African continent.

“We strongly believe that the recognition of exceptional leaders of African descent and their contributions to the growth of African American communities in the United States of America and the African continent is important for their collective growth.

He also used the opportunity to express
deep gratitude and congratulations to the #paala2022 team for the hard work and commitment in making this historic project a success.

In addition, he expressed special appreciation to our Chief Host, Senator Donzella James Robinson for commiting everything within her power to make the launch of this new baby of AWLO a success despite he health challenge.

He added “We love you, wish you speedy recovery and see you at PAALA 2023”
We are truly humbled by the love, leadership, motivation and believe in AWLO movement as shown by our special guest of honour , Her Excellency Ms Nomusa Dube -Ncube, the first female Premier (Governor) of the Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa who was deservedly celebrated last night with the Honorary Citizenship of the State of Georgia, and also the Pan-African American Leadership Award along side Chief Dr Dele MOMODU, the President of Ovation Media Group, Nigeria.

It was such a powerful, exclusively classic night to celebrate and recognize exceptional leaders of African descent and their contribution to the growth of African American communities in the United States of America and the African continent, which is in alignment with resolutions of Pan African congresses for the benefit of black heritage.

The pioneer PAALA 2022 awardees are, Senator Donzella James Robinson, H.E. Nomusa Dube-Ncube, Amb. Dr Amina Smaila, Aare Chief Dele MOMODU, Gwendoline Deavor, Mr. Atai Albert, Dr. Sona Konate, Uwem Inyang, Linda Middleton, Andre Dickens, Dolapo Akinropo, Dr. Florence Fasan, Dr Jeffrey Obomeghie, Anthony Waadah and Soweto Street Beat.

The Pan African American Leadership Award is an initiative of African Women in Leadership Organisation (AWLO) to preserve the Pan Africanism ideals.

PAALA set the tone for the sustainability of shared value for africapitalism, sustained democracy, and the global competitiveness of the African continent.

We strongly believe that the recognition of exceptional leaders of African descent and their contributions to the growth of African American communities in the United States of America and the African continent is in alignment with resolutions of Pan African congresses for the benefit of black heritage.

We look forward to PAALA 2023

Dr. Elisha Attai
Founder of AWLO/PAALA