Gunman in Ohio Walmart Shooting Inspired by Racially Motivated Extremist Ideology, FBI Says

The FBI has stated that the gunman who opened fire inside a Walmart in Ohio on Monday, injuring four individuals before taking his own life, may have been influenced by racially motivated extremist ideology. The agency revealed that two of the victims were white and the other two were Black. Various items recovered from the gunman’s home, including two Nazi flags, a book on SS history, a shooting complex card, handwritten notes, and a laptop, indicate a potential connection to racially motivated violence.

The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones, entered the Beavercreek store in suburban Dayton carrying a Hi-Point 45-caliber carbine. He proceeded to open fire, hitting three women and a man, before turning the weapon on himself. Three of the injured victims are in stable condition, while one woman remains in critical but stable condition.

Beavercreek’s mayor, Bob Stone, expressed the community’s strength in the face of tragedy during a press conference, stating, “Tragedy struck our beloved community Monday evening, and, in the face of adversity, the strength of our community shines through.”

Walmart, in a statement, expressed its heartbreak over the incident and assured its cooperation with investigators. The retail giant has previously taken steps to address gun violence, including implementing computer-based active shooter training in 2015. Last year, Walmart ceased the sale of certain types of ammunition and requested that customers no longer openly carry firearms in its stores following a racially motivated attack in El Paso, Texas, where 23 people were killed.

This shooting incident at a Walmart comes just a day after another shooting occurred at a Walmart in Anchorage, Alaska, where a man shot and killed a woman before taking his own life. The police in Anchorage have stated that the incident was related to domestic violence.

As investigations continue into the motive behind the Beavercreek shooting, the FBI remains committed to determining the factors that led to the attack.