Gunman injures four in Ohio Walmart shooting before killing himself, police say

A man opened fire inside a Walmart in Ohio, leaving four injured, before he died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Police responded to a shooting at the Walmart store in Beavercreek, a suburb to the east of Dayton, at around 8.30pm local time on Monday.

The man, who has not been named, “walked into the Walmart in Beavercreek” and began firing a gun”, police said on social media in a statement.

The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound while no officers who responded to the scene fired their weapons, police added.

“There is no active threat at this time. Beavercreek police are investigating and will release additional information once available,” the Beavercreek Police Department said

It remained unclear what led to the shooting and no suspect information has been provided yet by the police.

“We have no motive yet, no information on what he may have been thinking, or anything else,” Scott Molnar, Beavercreek Police Captain, told reporters. “We’re still looking into it. It’s very, very early in the investigation.”

Pictures from the scene showed a phalanx of police cars with their lights flashing converging on the store.

“I was literally just shopping for Thanksgiving stuff and this guy walked right past me with an assault rifle and started shooting,” a woman said in a video posted on social media, adding she could not determine whether anyone was wounded or killed.

“I ran … He shot like 10 times … I’m so lucky to be alive,” she said.

Another eyewitness described the shooter as a “tall, young white guy” carrying an Army bag. “My nerves are shot right now,” she said.

Mr Molnar said the condition of the victims were unknown right now but all were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Walmart said it was heartbroken by the incident and they are working with the investigators.

“We’re heartbroken by what’s happened at our Beavercreek, Ohio store. This remains a developing situation, and we’re working closely with investigators on the scene,” Walmart said in a statement.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.

Leave a Comment