Ohio Walmart Shooting Believed to Be Racially Motivated: FBI


In a tragic incident that occurred just days before Thanksgiving, a 20-year-old man named Benjamin Charles Jones opened fire at a Walmart store in Beavercreek, Ohio. The shooting left four people injured before Jones took his own life.

The FBI has released information suggesting that Jones's actions may have been driven by racially motivated violent extremist (RMVE) ideology. This conclusion is based on evidence gathered, including journal entries written by the attacker himself.

Fortunately, all four victims survived the shooting and are currently in stable condition. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

Walmart expressed their deep sorrow over the incident in a statement, emphasizing their full cooperation with investigators.

Authorities have also revealed that Jones purchased the weapon used in the shooting, a Hi-Point .45 caliber carbine, just two days prior to the attack. They are currently reviewing his responses on his gun purchase paperwork to determine if any of them were false.

According to updates from the Beavercreek Police Department on Twitter, Jones entered the Walmart store around 8:35 p.m. on Monday evening and began shooting indiscriminately. The four injured individuals were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Shortly after police arrived at the scene, the Walmart building was secured and cleared. They confirmed that Jones had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and that no shots were fired by any responding police officers.

The Beavercreek shooting marks the second Walmart shooting to occur in the United States within just 24 hours. On Sunday night, two people were shot and killed in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Anchorage, Alaska.

"We have no motive yet, no information on what he may have been thinking, or anything else," Beavercreek Police Capt. Scott Molnar told reporters on Monday night, as reported by NBC News. "We're still looking into it. It's very, very early in the investigation."
 

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