Shocking footage shows the tense moment police found Ohio Walmart shooter Benjamin Charles Jones dead shortly after he opened fire on shoppers.
Jones, 20, injured four people, including two African-American women and a Caucasian man and woman, after he rampaged through the Beavercreek store with a gun Monday night.
Police rushed to the scene three minutes after the emergency call was received at 8:36 p.m. and heard gunshots when they arrived. Just minutes later, they discovered Jones with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, three of his victims were described as stable, while one remained in critical but stable condition.
Now police have released stunning bodycam footage of the moment they found the shooter dead in the back of the store’s vision center.
Police released tense video showing the moment they spotted Ohio Walmart shooter Benjamin Charles Jones after he opened fire at a Beavercreek store on Monday
Officers were called to the scene at 8:36 p.m. and heard gunshots upon arrival. Jones injured four people before turning the gun on himself
His victims included two African-American women and a Caucasian man and woman. The FBI said the attack “may have been inspired, at least in part, by a racially motivated, violent extremist ideology.”
The clip shows the officer sprinting toward the store with his gun in his hand.
“Where is he?” He calls out to an eyewitness: “What does he look like?”
The man points in the direction of the shooter and the officer continues running.
As he approaches the front of the store, he slows down, taking cover behind a wall and pointing his gun at the door before slowly turning around once he thinks the coast is clear.
He walks further into the store and you can hear him breathing heavily as he looks for the shooter.
The officer cautiously enters the viewing center, his weapon always raised.
He finally makes it to the back of the store, his breathing becoming quieter as he cautiously scans for the threat.
He hides behind a wall and suddenly discovers the body of the shooter while holding out his gun.
Jones was found dead at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound from his .45 caliber Hi-Point carbine
After sprinting to the scene, the officer who spotted Jones can be heard saying, “We got him,” after turning a corner and finding him slumped on the ground
He pauses to make sure he’s dead before radioing, “We’ve got him.”
A video from the second officers on site shows two of them walking through the store.
As they approach the vision center, their colleague is heard confirming that he has spotted Jones.
The FBI has since said that the shooter’s diary entries suggest the attack “may have been inspired, at least in part, by a racially motivated, violent extremist ideology.”
A joint investigation by federal agents and Beavercreek police determined that Jones carried out the shooting with a .45-caliber Hi-Point carbine and a nine-round magazine.
The gun was purchased on November 18th at a store in the Dayton, Ohio area.
“Investigators are continuing to examine the individual’s background to determine whether any of his responses on ATF Form 4473 were inaccurate,” FBI Cincinnati said in a statement.
“This investigation remains very active as the FBI thoroughly investigates the attacker’s background, motive, connections and online activities.”
Investigators are looking into Jones’ background to determine whether any of his answers on the form he used to purchase his gun were incorrect
Walmart is cooperating with the ongoing investigation by the FBI and Beavercreek Police Department
Police Captain Chad Lindsey confirmed that the local police investigation is ongoing.
“Our prayers go out to the victims and their families of this tragic event, as well as everyone affected by the senseless violence that took place last night,” he said at a news conference on Tuesday.
“I would like to thank our dispatchers and firefighters for their quick response in addressing the threat and treating victims within minutes of the initial call.”
According to CBS Austin, Walmart said it is cooperating with authorities to determine why the gunman opened fire there.
The shooting was the second in 24 hours to occur at a Walmart store.