A shooting incident took place at a Walmart store in Beavercreek, Ohio, leaving four people injured before the gunman took his own life. The FBI has stated that the shooter, 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones, may have been motivated by racist extremism. The victims included two Black women, a white woman, and a white man. Evidence, including journal writings, suggests that racially violent extremist ideology may have played a role in the attack.
Jones entered the store on Monday night carrying a Hi-Point 45-caliber Carbine long gun and fired multiple rounds, injuring several individuals before turning the weapon on himself. The authorities are investigating whether he provided false information on his background check form and are examining his background and online activity.
The identities of the victims have not been released, but it has been reported that three of them are in stable condition, while a woman remains in critical but stable condition.
This shooting incident follows a similar tragedy in Anchorage, Alaska, where a man killed a woman before committing suicide outside a Walmart. The police have described that incident as domestic violence-related.
In 2019, a racially motivated attack at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, resulted in the deaths of 23 people. As a response, Walmart discontinued sales of certain ammunition and requested that customers no longer openly carry firearms in their stores. Currently, the retailer only sells hunting rifles and related ammunition.
It is worth noting that the Walmart store in Beavercreek has a history of violence. Almost a decade ago, a white police officer fatally shot 22-year-old John Crawford III, a Black man, after he picked up an unpackaged pellet rifle in the store. The family of the victim reached a settlement of $1.7 million with the city of Beavercreek, leading to changes in police policy.
The investigation into the Ohio Walmart shooting is ongoing, and authorities are working to understand the full extent of the shooter’s motivations and any potential links to extremist ideologies.
