In a shocking incident at a Walmart store in Beavercreek, Ohio, a gunman unleashed a flurry of gunfire, leaving four individuals wounded before taking his own life. The FBI is now probing potential ties to racially motivated extremist ideology as evidence suggests the assailant, identified as 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones, may have been influenced by such beliefs.

According to an FBI spokesperson speaking to ABC News, several items were seized from Jones' residence, including two Nazi flags, a history book on the SS, a shooting complex card, handwritten notes, and a laptop. "Based on evidence collected, including journal writings from the attacker, he may have been at least partially inspired by racially motivated violent extremist ideology," stated the spokesperson. They further emphasized that the agency will continue investigating the underlying factors that led to this tragic attack.

Eyewitnesses described the terrifying moment when shots rang out inside the Walmart. Christopher Suffron, who was shopping with his wife, recounted the urgency to shield her from harm. They managed to escape through nearby loading doors as the disturbing sound of gunfire filled the air.

This Walmart store has been at the center of another fatal shooting incident involving law enforcement nearly a decade ago. In that case, a white police officer fatally shot 22-year-old John Crawford III, a Black man, after he picked up an unpackaged pellet rifle from a shelf. The Crawford family eventually reached a settlement of $1.7 million with the city of Beavercreek.

Unfortunately, this incident is not an isolated one. In less than 24 hours before the Beavercreek shooting, another Walmart store in Anchorage, Alaska, was the site of a tragic event where a man shot and killed a woman before taking his own life. Anchorage police confirmed that it was a domestic violence-related crime.

In response to the alarming frequency of such incidents, Walmart has taken steps to address gun violence in its stores. In 2015, the retail giant introduced computer-based active shooter training in an effort to increase preparedness among its employees.

These recent shootings arrive one year after a tragic incident in Chesapeake, Virginia, where a Walmart supervisor killed six co-workers shortly before Thanksgiving. Moreover, the El Paso Walmart shooting in 2019, where a white supremacist gunman unleashed an attack on Hispanic shoppers, claimed the lives of 23 innocent people. In response to the El Paso tragedy, Walmart made the decision to halt sales of certain types of ammunition and urged customers to refrain from openly carrying firearms within its stores.

As the investigation into the Beavercreek shooting continues, there is a renewed sense of urgency to address the underlying issues of gun violence and extremism that continue to plague communities across the nation.