Gunman Opens Fire at Ohio Walmart, Motivated by Racist Extremism, FBI Says
A Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio, was the site of a tragic shooting incident where four people were wounded before the gunman took his own life. According to the FBI, the attack may have been motivated by racist extremism.
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The victims of the shooting included two Black women, a white woman, and a white man. They were injured inside the store just days before Thanksgiving. The FBI has uncovered evidence, including journal writings, suggesting that racially violent extremist ideology played a role in the shooter’s actions.
The perpetrator, identified as 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones from Dayton, entered the Walmart on Monday night armed with a Hi-Point 45-caliber Carbine long gun. He fired multiple rounds, causing injuries throughout the store, before ultimately turning the weapon on himself.
Efforts to contact Jones’ relatives by The Associated Press were unsuccessful, leaving many questions unanswered.
As of Tuesday, three of the victims remained in stable condition at local hospitals, while one woman was in critical but stable condition. Authorities have not released the identities of the victims.
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This shooting comes just after another incident outside a Walmart in Anchorage, Alaska, where a man shot and killed a woman before taking his own life in what police have described as a domestic-violence related crime.
The Ohio Walmart has a history of violence, as it was the location of a fatal shooting involving police almost a decade ago. In 2014, a white police officer fatally shot 22-year-old John Crawford III, a Black man, after he picked up an unpackaged pellet rifle from a store shelf. The incident led to a $1.7 million settlement between Crawford’s family and the city of Beavercreek, prompting changes in police policy.
The Ohio shooting also serves as a reminder of the 2019 racist attack in El Paso, Texas, where a white gunman targeted Hispanic shoppers, killing 23 people. In response, Walmart made changes to its sales policies, discontinuing certain types of ammunition and requesting customers to refrain from openly carrying firearms in its stores. The retailer now only sells hunting rifles and related ammunition.
As investigations continue, the community mourns the loss and hopes for a safer future.
