September 28, 2024
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A shooter who opened fire Friday at a grocery store in Arkansas killed 3 people and wounded 10 others, authorities said. The shooter riddled the store and parked cars as bystanders ducked for cover both indoors and in the parking lot,
The wounded included two law enforcement officers who exchanged fire with and shot the suspect, state police said. The shooting occurred about 11:30 a.m. at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, a city of about 3,200 people located 65 miles south of Little Rock.
“It’s tragic, our hearts are broken,” Col. Mike Hagar, director of the Arkansas State Police and public safety secretary, told reporters Friday.
Police identified the suspected shooter as 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey of New Edinburg. He was taken to jail and charged with three counts of capital murder, while other charges are still pending. No court date had been set, according to the inmate roster.
A state police spokesperson did not know if Posey had an attorney, and the Ouachita County Sheriff’s Office said it had no information.
Neither the officers' nor Posey's injuries were life-threatening. The remaining injuries ranged from “not life-threatening to extremely critical,” Hagar said.
Police did not immediately say whether the shooting occurred inside or outside the store. Police did not identify the victims and have not released a motive for the shooting.
Roderick Rogers, a member of the city council, said he called the county sheriff when employees at his restaurant nearby notified him of the shooting.
Rogers said when he got there, he saw people running for cover in every direction, even one running to the hospital nearby.
“People were just jumping into cars to get to safety,” Rogers said.
Video posted on social media showed at least one person lying in the parking lot, while another captured multiple gunshots ringing out.
Amiya Doherty said she was in her mother’s car in the grocery store’s parking lot when she heard what she thought were fireworks. When she saw a man holding a gun and firing, she said she ducked out of view.
“I held my sister’s hand and I told her I love her,” Doherty told Little Rock television station KATV.
Images from reporters on the scene showed a slew of bullet holes in the grocery store's window, and spent shell casings strewn throughout the parking lot. In video footage, local and state agencies could be seen responding to the scene, with at least one medical helicopter landing nearby.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she had been briefed on the shooting.
“I am thankful to law enforcement and first responders for their quick and heroic action to save lives,” Sanders posted on the social media platform X. “My prayers are with the victims and all those impacted by this.”
David Rodriguez, 58, had stopped at his local gas station in Fordyce to fill up his car when he heard what he thought were fireworks from a nearby vendor’s stand.
“We heard a few little pops,” he said.
He then saw people running from the Mad Butcher grocery store into the parking lot, and one person lying on the ground. He began recording video with his phone before the gunfire escalated.
“The police started to show up, and then there was massive gunfire and ambulances pulling up,” he said. “The bullets were just flying.”
