Walmart Shooter in Ohio May Have Been Motivated by Racial Extremism, Says FBI

The FBI said in a press conference Wednesday that “based on evidence collected, including journal writings from the attacker,” the shooting was partially racially motivated

Following a shooting at a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio, on Monday, police are revealing what might have been the shooter’s motive.

Just days before Thanksgiving, 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones began shooting at a local Ohio Walmart, injuring four people — a Caucasian female, two African American females and a Caucasian male — before taking his own life. On Wednesday, the FBI revealed part of what they believe influenced Jones to open fire.

“Based on evidence collected, including journal writings from the attacker, Benjamin Charles Jones, the attack may have been at least partially inspired by Racially Motivated Violent Extremist (RMVE) ideology,” FBI officials said in a press conference.

All four victims survived and are in stable condition, and the investigation is still ongoing.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Tuesday, Walmart responded to the incident: “We’re heartbroken by what’s happened at our Beavercreek, Ohio store,” a company spokeperson said. “This remains a developing situation, and we’re working closely with investigators on the scene. All questions should be directed to local law enforcement,” the statement concluded.

The FBI also revealed that Jones had bought the weapon he used — a Hi-Point .45 caliber carbine — just two days before the shooting. They said they are looking into his answers on his gun purchase paperwork to see if any of them were false.

According to updates from the Beavercreek Police Department on X (formerly known as Twitter), Jones walked into the retail store around 8:35 p.m. Monday night “and began firing a gun.” All four injured people were transported to nearby hospitals.

Soon after the police arrived at the Walmart, the building had been “cleared and secured.” Authorities posted that “a fifth person, the shooter, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.” They added, “No shots were fired by any responding police officers.”

The Beavercreek shooting was the second to occur at a Walmart store in the U.S. in just over 24 hours.

On Sunday night, two people were shot and killed in the parking lot of a Walmart in Anchorage, Alaska, according to the Anchorage Police Department. Shortly after 5 p.m., officers responded “to reports of a shooting,” the police said in a release. “When officers arrived, they found a deceased adult female and a deceased adult male.”

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

source: people.com