Police ID suspected shooter in Beavercreek Ohio Walmart mass shooting
Police revealed the name of the man they say is responsible for shooting four people in a Beavercreek, Ohio Walmart Monday night before taking his own life.
Benjamin Charles Jones, 20, was found dead due to a self-inflicted gunshot behind the vision center in the store shortly after Beavercreek police responded to the scene, officials said in a press conference Tuesday.
Beavercreek police said they are working with the FBI to determine a motive in the shooting. They revealed few details about the background of Jones.
Police said the four victims in the shooting were all shoppers. One of the victims, a female, remained in critical condition Tuesday afternoon. Investigators said the rest of the victims are considered stable or their injuries were not life-threatening.
Police have not said if Jones was targeting anyone or if he knew any of the victims. Officers said the victims were found throughout the store.
The attack was reported at around 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Walmart in Beavercreek, a town of about 50,000 in the Dayton metropolitan area.
Police said there were multiple 911 calls about Jones and the first call reported him walking into the store with a gun.
A Hi-Point .45 caliber carbine was used in the shooting, officials reported. This was Jones' only weapon, according to police. No information is available about how many rounds were fired or how much ammunition Jones was carrying.
Investigators said Jones is from Dayton, but had moved away several years and then returned about a year ago. He does have family in the Dayton area, police reported.
Overnight, police conducted a search warrant on Jones' residence and vehicle. On Tuesday, Investigators would not say what, if anything, that revealed.
The FBI is asking anyone with information about Jones to contact investigators at 1-800-225-5324.
Walmart issued a statement Tuesday saying it is working closely with investigators to try to determine why a shooter opened fire at its store.
“We’re heartbroken by what’s happened at our Beavercreek, Ohio store. This remains a developing situation, and we’re working closely with investigators on the scene,” Walmart said in a statement.
The shooting happened a day after two people were shot and killed outside a Walmart in south Anchorage, Alaska. Police are still searching for a suspect in that case. The store was evacuated before closing for the day, and officers helped people reach their vehicles.
In 2019, Dayton was the site of a mass shooting in its Oregon District. Connor Betts killed nine people and wounded many more before he was shot and killed by police.
In 2014, John Crawford III was shot and killed by a police officer at the same Walmart where the shooting occurred in Beavercreek Monday. Crawford was holding a pellet gun that he had picked up in the store.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Police ID suspected shooter in Beavercreek Ohio Walmart mass shooting
