A shooting at a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio, left four people injured before the gunman turned the weapon on himself, according to the FBI. The incident occurred just days before Thanksgiving and the FBI believes that the shooter may have been motivated by racist extremism. The victims included two Black women, a white woman, and a white man.
The gunman, identified as 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones, entered the store on Monday night carrying a Hi-Point 45-caliber Carbine long gun. He fired an unknown number of rounds, causing injuries throughout the building. Evidence, including journal writings, suggests that the shooting may have been influenced by racially violent extremist ideology.
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Jones purchased the gun just two days before the attack, and investigators are checking if he provided false information on his background check form. The FBI is also conducting a thorough investigation into his background and online activity.
Three of the victims are in stable condition at local hospitals, while one woman remains in critical but stable condition. The identities of the victims have not been released.
This incident follows another shooting outside a Walmart in Anchorage, Alaska, where a man fatally shot a woman before taking his own life. Police have determined the Anchorage shooting to be a domestic-violence related crime.
The Ohio Walmart where the shooting occurred was the site of a fatal shooting involving police nearly 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 shelf. The family of the victim reached a $1.7 million settlement with the city of Beavercreek, which included changes in police policy.
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The 2019 shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, where a white gunman targeted Hispanic shoppers and killed 23 people, prompted Walmart to discontinue sales of certain types of ammunition and ask customers to no longer openly carry firearms in their stores. The retailer now only sells hunting rifles and related ammunition.
The FBI’s investigation into the Ohio Walmart shooting will continue as they gather more information about the gunman’s motives and background.
