Ohio
FBI Claims Ohio Walmart Shooting May Have Been Racially Motivated
Topline
The FBI and Beavercreek Police Department said in a statement Wednesday that a shooting that left four injured at a Walmart in Ohio on Monday may have been “at least partially inspired by” racial extremism, citing evidence collected from the shooter including journal writings.
Walmart is offering emergency support to associates affected by the shooting. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, … [+]
Key Facts
The victims injured in the attack include two Black women, a white woman and a white man, three of whom were in critical condition and one of whom had non-life threatening injuries as of Tuesday.
The shooter, identified as Benjamin Charles Jones, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after the shooting, though the FBI is still seeking information regarding the 20-year-old, according to the Beavercreek Police Department.
Law enforcement said in the Wednesday statement that Jones used a .45 caliber carbine with one nine-round magazine that was purchased Nov. 18 from a store in the Dayton, Ohio area.
Investigators, who did not disclose the contents of Jones’ journal writings, are determining if any of Jones’ answers on his firearm paperwork were inaccurate.
The Beavercreek Police Department did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Big Number
2,400%. That’s how much higher the number of extremist-linked violent plots were in the three-year period of 2018-2021 compared to the three-year period of 1990-1993, according to the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, which also found that most violent plots are planned by far-right extremists.
Key Background
Capt. Chad Lindsey, acting Beavercreek Police Department chief, said during a Tuesday press conference that Jones walked into the store with the carbine and appeared to shoot indiscriminately at patrons. Lindsey added that the shooter was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound seven minutes after the first 911 call was made. The attack happened less than a week after the U.S. surpassed 600 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as events in which there are at least four injuries or deaths, not including the shooter. The U.S. is on pace for 700 mass shootings in 2023, according to the archive, which would be the highest number recorded by the archive since it started tracking data in 2014.
Further Reading
Walmart shooter who injured 4 in Ohio may have been motivated by racial extremism, FBI says (AP)
U.S. Surpasses 600 Mass Shootings This Year—Nearing Record Levels (Forbes)