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Several people are in critical condition after shooting at Beavercreek Walmart; police will give update this afternoon

Multiple police cars with blue and red flashing lights are in a parking lot of a large retail box store at night, with police tape blocking off part of the parking lot. Some rain puddles are on the parking lot.
Kathryn Mobley
/
WYSO
Police officers from multiple departments respond to a shooting at the Beavercreek Walmart on Pentagon Road on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023.
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According to officials, three victims are in critical condition and the fourth victim has non-life-threatening injuries. Police report a fifth person, the shooter, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Beavercreek Police Department will hold a press conference this afternoon at 2 p.m. in the council chambers at Beavercreek City Hall.

Initial Report

Here's what we know now:

  • A man entered the store about 8:35 p.m. Monday and started shooting, before shooting and killing himself, according to Beavercreek Police Capt. Scott Molnar. No threat remains, officers said. “We can confirm the shooter has died," Molnar said. "It appears he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
  • No officers on site fired at the suspect, Molnar said.
  • No information was released on the identities of the shooter or the injured late on Monday night.
  • Soin Medical Center received three patients from the incident, according to a hospital spokesperson. She declined to release their conditions, citing patient privacy. Beavercreek police didn't know their conditions.
  • Beavercreek police are examining security footage from inside the store to better understand what happened minutes before, during and after the shooting.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families impacted by this horrific tragedy," Beavercreek police said in a social media post.

Walmart employees in Beavercreek Ohio wait outside their store as police search for an active shooter. Monday, November 20, a gunman entered the store and open fired. Four people were injured.
Kathryn Mobley
/
WYSO
Walmart employees in Beavercreek Ohio wait outside their store as police search for an active shooter. Monday, November 20, a gunman entered the store and open fired. Four people were injured.

Several law enforcement officers from multiple agencies responded to the store, 3360 Pentagon Blvd. in Greene County. That included the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation; the FBI and several local police and sheriff's offices.

Beavercreek Captain Scott Molnar updates area media on the fatal Walmart shooting. He confirms the alleged male shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. However, he doesn't identify the alleged shooter nor the injured.
Kathryn Mobley
/
WYSO
Beavercreek Captain Scott Molnar updates area media on the fatal Walmart shooting. He confirms the alleged male shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. However, he doesn't identify the alleged shooter nor the injured.

"The building has been cleared and secured," a Beavercreek Police social media post from about 9:30 p.m. Monday says. "There is no active threat at this time. Beavercreek Police are investigating and will release additional information once available."

A Walmart representative referred questions to local law enforcement and issued this statement: "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."

Jim Smith makes sandwiches at the SubWay on the grocery side of the store. Around 8:30 p.m. while he was closing up, he heard shots coming from the back.

"I was taking the trash out at the time. I heard shots, but it sounded like a pellet gun over in the meat aisle. So I stayed back near the trash until everybody left out," he said "Then when I came out I could still hear the shooting."

Investigators are reviewing security footage inside the Beavercreek Walmart to piece together moments before, during and after the fatal shooting. It happened around 8:35 p.m. Monday, November 20.
Kathryn Mobley
/
WYSO
Investigators are reviewing security footage inside the Beavercreek Walmart to piece together moments before, during and after the fatal shooting. It happened around 8:35 p.m. Monday, November 20.

Nearby Wright State University issued a campus-wide safety alert warning people to stay away from the store.

The Walmart is the same store where Beavercreek police shot and killed John Crawford III, 22, of Fairfield in 2014.

Updated: November 21, 2023 at 11:23 AM EST
The Beavercreek Police Department will hold a press conference this afternoon at 2 p.m. in the council chambers at Beavercreek City Hall.
Updated: November 21, 2023 at 12:01 AM EST
This is a breaking news story that will be updated as we learn more. At 1:15 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21, this story was updated to add comments from a police captain. Earlier updates include that four people have been injured and the shooter killed himself. The first update included that at least three people had been injured and taken to Soin Medical Center and a statement from Walmart.
Kathryn Mobley is an award-winning broadcast journalist, crafting stories for more than 30 years. She’s reported and produced for TV, NPR affiliate and for the web. Mobley also contributes to several area community groups. She sings tenor with World House Choir (Yellow Springs), she’s a board member of the Beavercreek Community Theatre and volunteers with two community television operations, DATV (Dayton) and MVCC (Centerville).

Email: kmobley@wyso.org
Cell phone: (937) 952-9924
Samantha Sommer is the news director for WYSO, where she leads a team of award-winning reporters and anchors and collaborates with NPR stations across Ohio. She joined the station in May 2022 after more than 20 years with Cox Enterprises, most recently as managing editor for investigations for the Dayton Daily News. Samantha also has served as the editor of the Springfield News-Sun, and Springfield bureau chief for WHIO TV and WHIO Radio. She is a Detroit native and a graduate of Northwestern University. Samantha is married with two adult stepchildren and a 4-year-old son.