Ohio Walmart shooting suspect motivated by racial extremism: FBI

Ohio Walmart shooting suspect motivated by racial extremism: FBI

Four people were injured in the incident at the Beavercreek store.

ByIvan Pereira

November 22, 2023, 6:30 PM

The man who opened fire at a Beavercreek Walmart and wounded four people, may have been at least partially motivated by “racially or ethnically motivated violent,” ideologies, the FBI said Wednesday.

Investigators said they are still going through evidence, including the journals of attacker Benjamin Charles Jones, and are still probing Monday's incident.

Four people were shot inside a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio, on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. The suspected shooter then died by suicide, police said.WKEF

Around 8:36 p.m. the gunman entered the Walmart and shot four people, who were shopping at the time, currently identified as two Black women, a white woman and a white man, according to the FBI. The victims were all transported to local hospitals, three were in critical condition and a fourth had non-life-threatening injuries.

When officers arrived at the store at 8:42 p.m. they found the gunman dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

The FBI said the 20-year-old man legally bought the .45 caliber handgun on Nov. 18 from a store in the Dayton area.

Benjamin Charles Jones in a police handout photo.Beavercreek Police Department

“Investigators are continuing to look at the background of the subject to determine if any answers on his ATF form 4473 were inaccurate,” the agency said in a statement.

The FBI is asking anyone who has information about the gunman to contact the FBI at 1-800-Call-FBI (1-800-2255-324) or at tips.fbi.gov.

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