Gunman in Ohio Walmart Shooting Motivated by Racist Extremism: FBI

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Gunman at Ohio Walmart Motivated by Racist Extremism, FBI Says

Beavercreek, Ohio – A gunman opened fire inside a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio, on Monday, November 20, 2023, injuring four people before taking his own life. The FBI has now revealed that the shooter may have been motivated by racist extremism.

According to the FBI, the victims of the attack, which occurred just days before Thanksgiving, included two Black women, a white woman, and a white man. Evidence, including journal writings, suggests that the shooting was at least partially inspired by racially violent extremist ideology.

The shooter has been identified as 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones from Dayton. He entered the Walmart on Monday night carrying a Hi-Point 45-caliber Carbine long gun. After firing an undetermined number of rounds and injuring multiple victims, he turned the weapon on himself.

The Associated Press attempted to reach out to Jones’ relatives but was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, authorities have chosen not to release the identities of the victims.

As of Tuesday, three of the victims were in stable condition at local hospitals, while one woman remained in critical but stable condition.

This tragic incident follows another shooting outside a Walmart in Anchorage, Alaska, where a man killed a woman before taking his own life. The police in Anchorage have classified it as a domestic-violence related crime.

The Ohio Walmart where the shooting occurred had previously been the site of a fatal shooting involving the police almost a decade ago. In August 2014, a white police officer shot and killed 22-year-old John Crawford III after he picked up an unpackaged pellet rifle from a shelf. This incident led to a $1.7 million settlement between the city of Beavercreek and the family of the Black man, along with changes in police policy.

The shooting in Ohio also evokes memories of the racially motivated attack at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, in 2019. A white gunman targeted Hispanic shoppers, resulting in the death of 23 people. As a response, Walmart discontinued sales of certain kinds of ammunition and requested that customers no longer openly carry firearms in their stores. The retailer now exclusively sells hunting rifles and related ammunition.

The FBI’s investigation into the Ohio shooting continues to uncover more details about the shooter’s motivations and potential connections to extremist ideologies. The incident serves as a reminder of the ongoing threat posed by domestic terrorism and the need for enhanced efforts to prevent such acts of violence.

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