BEAVERCREEK, OH – Retail giant Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio, became the site of a tragic shooting incident Monday night. A gunman opened fire, injuring four people and causing three to be critically wounded before he reportedly turned the weapon on himself.
Beavercreek police identified the gunman as 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones from Dayton, who had moved from Beavercreek a year prior. The initial call to the dispatcher reported a man entering the Walmart while carrying a rifle at 8:36 p.m. Officer response time was quick, with officers on the scene just three minutes later and the entire scene secured by 9:14 p.m. The shooter was found on the ground dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police emphasized that no shots were fired by responding officers. The weapon used by the shooter was identified as a Hi-Point 40-caliber long gun. The motive behind the Walmart shooting remains unclear and is part of ongoing investigations by the FBI, who are also digging into the shooter’s past for any insights and asking the public for any information they may have about him.
Three out of four of the injured victims were initially reported in critical condition. By Tuesday afternoon, three of the victims had stabilized, and one was still listed as being in critical but stable condition. The fourth victim’s injuries are reported as non-life threatening. All victims were shoppers at the time of the incident.
Several investigating bodies, including the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, were assisting at the scene.
In a response to the incident, a Walmart spokesperson voiced the company’s heartbreak, stating, “This remains a developing situation, and we’re working closely with investigators on the scene.”