"Racially motivated violent extremist (RMVE) ideology": Ohio Walmart shooting suspect Benjamin Charles Jones' motive explored

A horrific shootout at a Walmart in Ohio has made headlines lately, and the suspect, Benjamin Charles Jones, reportedly shot himself to death after the incident. The incident occurred on November 20, and cops have been investigating. Finally, on Wednesday, November 22, the FBI released a motive behind the shooting.

Authorities believed that, if not completely, the shooting was racially motivated in at least a partial manner. Several news outlets have already reported that at least four people have sustained injuries in the Walmart shooting. The authorities have further confirmed that they are still analyzing all the available shreds of evidence.

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Benjamin Charles Jones, the suspect in the Ohio Walmart shooting, was allegedly motivated by RMVE ideologies, as stated by the federal agency

For the uninformed, a 20-year-old man, Benjamin Charles Jones, entered a Walmart at about 8:30 pm local time on November 20 in Ohio. He immediately opened fire and injured several people.

Authorities responded to the scene and found the injured people all over the store. They also found Jones, who possibly died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Upon investigating the motive behind the shooting, the FBI revealed that Benjamin Charles Jones was inspired by "racially or ethnically motivated violent" ideologies. The FBI also confirmed that he had purchased the weapon used in the shooting, a .45 caliber handgun, in Dayton on November 18, 2023.

The agency further released a statement saying:

"Investigators are continuing to look at the background of the subject to determine if any answers on his ATF form 4473 were inaccurate."

Authorities have also investigated Jones' house and have discovered several items that made them draw the conclusion. The list includes two Nazi flags and "the SS history book."

They also found journal notes that made them conclude the same. Apart from these, several other items, including a laptop, handwritten notes, and a shooting complex card were also recovered.

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All the victims injured are reportedly in a stable state

The Guardian has confirmed that among the four victims Benjamin Charles Jones shot, two were Black, while the other two were white.

An FBI spokesperson told ABC News:

"Based on evidence collected, including journal writings from the attacker, he may have been at least partially inspired by racially motivated violent extremist ideology. [The agency] will continue to investigate the motivating factors leading to this attack."

Cops spoke about the four victims and said that while three of them were in a stable state, one of the victims was in a critical condition initially. Beavercreek’s mayor, Bob Stone, spoke about the tragic incident in a news conference and said,

"Tragedy struck our beloved community Monday evening, and, in the face of adversity, the strength of our community shines through."

A witness, Christopher Suffron, who was present in the store with his wife, claimed that he heard gunshots being fired inside the Walmart. He added,

"I turned around and told her to get behind me."

Authorities are still investigating the tragedy to unearth all the details of the tragic incident.