POLICE have confirmed "several" deaths and injuries after a gunman opened fire inside a Walmart store in eastern Virginia on Tuesday, the exact number of victims is unknown.

The suspect is believed to be dead.

A spokesperson for the Chesapeake Police Department told reporters that officers received a call about a shooting just after 10 p.m. local time, noting that they "responded to a shooting pattern."

Police noted "several killings and many wounded" after entering the store, but a spokesman said the attacks had already been stopped.

"We believe it is one shooter, and we believe the shooter is dead at this time," he added, saying he could not confirm whether the shooter was killed by a self-inflicted wound.

According to the spokesman, the officers did not fire