Bodycam Footage Released Showing SWAT Response and Discovery of Shooter's Body in Ohio Walmart Shooting

https://icaro.icaromediagroup.com/system/images/photos/15894947/original/open-uri20231123-55-lhko8y?1700765762
ICARO Media Group
Politics
23/11/2023 18h54

Body:

Police in Beavercreek, Ohio have released body camera footage capturing the intense SWAT response to a mass shooting that took place in a local Walmart. The footage reveals the moment officers discovered the lifeless body of the shooter, Benjamin Charles Jones, a 20-year-old resident of Dayton.

The incident occurred on Monday evening when Jones opened fire inside the store, shooting indiscriminately with a Hi-Point .45-caliber Carbine Long Gun. According to the Beavercreek Police Department, the shooter injured three women and one man in the process.

The frantic bodycam footage unveils the immediate response of the officers as they entered the Walmart with their guns drawn. Slowly making their way through the store, they passed Christmas decorations while searching for the active shooter.

Eventually, the officers found Jones's lifeless body in the store's visitor center, having succumbed to an "apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound". Upon making this discovery, one of the officers can be heard alerting his colleagues via radio, saying, "Got 'em - shooter's down."

Eyewitness Alisha Ring provided a harrowing account of the incident, documenting her experience through an emotional Facebook Live video from the store's parking lot. She described how she narrowly escaped the shooter's path after hearing around ten shots fired while he walked past her. Ring expressed disbelief, questioning how people can commit such acts of violence.

Of Jones's four victims, three are in stable condition while one remains in critical condition, according to a member of the Beavercreek Police Department. The department, however, refrained from providing further comment at this time.

Authorities have seized Jones's pickup truck, found in the Walmart parking lot, and conducted searches of both the vehicle and the shooter's home, as reported by the New York Post. The FBI's Cincinnati Field Office is now active in seeking more information about the 20-year-old suspect. They are delving into his history to determine a possible motive, as well as evaluating any potential connections between Jones and his victims.

According to a source cited by the New York Post, Jones had previously undergone three hospitalizations for 72-hour mental health evaluations, both voluntarily and involuntarily, within the past three years. It remains unclear how he obtained the firearm, as federal law prohibits those who have been involuntarily held in mental institutions from legally purchasing firearms.

The same source mentioned that there were warning signs and red flags regarding Jones's beliefs. He reportedly expressed right-wing conspiracy theories and denied the occurrence of the Holocaust. The source also disclosed Jones's alleged interest in white supremacy, noting that he attended an online Christian school and displayed a Nazi flag in his room.

This incident marks the second shooting to occur at a Walmart this week, following the tragic death of a man and woman in an Anchorage location. Walmart has expressed its commitment to supporting the well-being of its associates in the aftermath of the Beavercreek shooting. While discussions are ongoing about when to reopen and resume serving customers, the overriding feedback from employees has been to resume operations as soon as possible.

As investigations continue and more details emerge, the residents of Beavercreek are grappling with the shock and aftermath of this devastating event. The community, alongside law enforcement and support agencies, is working together to heal and ensure the safety of its members moving forward.

The views expressed in this article do not reflect the opinion of ICARO, or any of its affiliates.

Related