BEAVERCREEK, Ohio — Racism may have motivated the man who opened fire in a Beavercreek Walmart Monday night, injuring four people before taking his own life.
The FBI said Wednesday that journal writings and other evidence collected after the shooting show 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones "may have been at least partially inspired by racially motivated violent extremist ideology." Officials did not detail what Jones wrote in his journal entries or describe any other evidence.
Two Black women, one white woman and one white man were injured in the shooting at the Walmart location on Pentagon Boulevard. Police said Tuesday three of the victims were considered stable while one was in critical condition but stabilized.
Jones was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound just behind the store's vision center, while police said victims of the shooting were found in different areas throughout the store. The victims' wounds varied too, with Beavercreek Police Capt. Chad Lindsey saying "the shots were largely random, they ranged throughout all parts of the body."
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The FBI said Jones used a Hi-Point .45 caliber carbine with one 9-round magazine. He bought the weapon just days before on Nov. 18 from a story in the Dayton area. Investigators are looking into whether Jones may have answered the ATF Form 4473 inaccurately.
"This investigation remains very active as the FBI thoroughly examines the attacker’s background, motive, connections, and online activity," the FBI said in a release Wednesday.
Anyone with information on Jones is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-Call-FBI or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov.
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