US (Washington Insider Magazine) —Benjamin Charles Jones, 20, unleashed terror Monday night, opening fire indiscriminately with a .45-caliber Hi-Point long carbine in an incident at a Walmart in Ohio.
The Beavercreek Police Department released body camera footage showing the intense SWAT response to the mass shooting, providing insight into the chaotic and heartbreaking events that unfolded.
Responding officers, guns drawn, navigated the store’s aisles festooned with Christmas decorations in a frantic search for the shooter.
The footage captures the tension when Jones’ lifeless body was finally discovered in the store’s visitor center, the result of an “apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound,” as El Diario NY reported that day.
Alisha Ring, a witness to the horrific incident, recounted her traumatic experience in a tearful video on Facebook Live. Ring, who narrowly escaped the shooter, described Jones as a “tall, thin white male” and revealed that he began shooting in the freezer section of the store.
Of the four victims, three are in stable condition, while one remains critical, the Beavercreek Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital.
After the shooting, investigators towed Jones’ truck from the Walmart parking lot and conducted searches of both his home and the vehicle. The FBI’s Cincinnati field office is now actively seeking information about the 20-year-old suspect, delving into his history to unravel possible motives and determine whether he had connections to the victims.
Zrinka Dilber, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Cincinnati field office, told WLWT that they are meticulously examining Jones’ background to understand the events that led to the tragedy.
A source revealed that Jones had a history of mental health evaluations, having been hospitalized three times in the last three years, both voluntarily and involuntarily.
Despite these warning signs, questions arise about how Jones acquired the firearm. Federal law prohibits people involuntarily committed to mental institutions from legally purchasing firearms.
The source also highlighted Jones’ troubling ideologies, citing his association with right-wing conspiracy theories, Holocaust denial and expressions of white supremacist beliefs.
Walmart, in response to the tragedy, issued a statement expressing its condolences and emphasizing its commitment to supporting associate well-being.
It should be remembered that on Sunday, two people lost their lives when they were fatally shot outside a Walmart south of Anchorage, Alaska, and officials said they were still searching for a suspect in this case.
Additionally, police found the bodies of a man and a woman behind two trucks in the parking lot, near the entrance of the store, and a firearm.
As the investigation continues, the community grapples with the consequences of these senseless acts, leaving many wondering how such events can occur.
This article is originally published on eldiariony.com
