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'He thought he was going to die' | Walmart shooting victim's mother speaks

Jalon Jones, 24, is currently in the ICU. His mother said she's thankful that her son is alive and was able to pull through, even with the extent of his injuries.

NORFOLK, Va. — Hours after a gunman allegedly shot multiple people and then himself at a Chesapeake Walmart, the mother of one of the victims is speaking out.

In the wake of the violence, seven people are dead, and six others are being treated in area hospitals. Four of the people who were hurt weren't shot, though.

Wednesday morning, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital said they received four patients initially -- two of whom have since died. Of the two survivors, one person is in critical condition and the other person is expected to be okay.

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Kimberly Shupe, the mother of the patient who is considered to be in critical condition, briefly stepped outside of the hospital to speak with 13News Now on Wednesday afternoon. 

Her son has been identified as Jalon Jones, 24. He's currently in ICU at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

Credit: Sentara with family permission
Jalon Jones, victim of Walmart shooting, is 24.

Shupe says she's thankful that her son is alive and was able to pull through, even with the extent of his injuries. 

"I'm grateful," she said. "To hear him say that he was fighting and that he actually felt he was leaving, but he just kept coming back, that's real. I'm very enthused that he pushed through that."

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Now, Jones will have to battle both the emotional and physical trauma in the aftermath of the shooting. 

"He's really dealing with that more, I guess you could say just as much as the injuries, the trauma of people being injured and hurt that he might not ever see again," she continued. 

According to his mother, Jones was shot in the break room, and then shot again as he began to run to the front of the store for help.

"The people you love in your life, just make sure you always let them know you love them," Shupe stressed. "Because you just never know when they walk out the door if you'll ever see them again."

His family and friends plan to surround him with support as he begins his recovery. 

"He will be here for Thanksgiving, and we will be here as well," Shupe said. 

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