A fourth victim died Saturday evening following a shooting at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, Arkansas, as authorities continued their investigation into the attack.
The shooting, which occurred on Friday, claimed the lives of four individuals aged between 23 and 81 years old and left nine others wounded. The suspected shooter, 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey, is expected to be charged with four counts of capital murder, with additional charges pending, according to an Arkansas State Police news release. Posey is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, said Dallas County prosecutor Eric Marks.
Law enforcement responded to the shooting around 11:30 a.m., exchanging gunfire with the suspect. Cellphone footage captured a man in the parking lot aiming a long gun and firing in multiple directions.
Matthew Gill, the meat manager at the Mad Butcher, told CNN that the assailant entered the store with a shotgun and ended up in a shootout with police. Posey was “treated for non-life-threatening injuries after exchanging gunfire with law enforcement” and taken to the Ouachita County Detention Center, state police said. It is unclear if Posey has retained legal counsel.
The four deceased victims have been identified by police as: 23-year-old Callie Weems, 50-year-old Roy Sturgis, 62-year-old Shirley Taylor, and 81-year-old Ellen Shrum. Taylor’s daughter, Angela Atchley, described her mother as a devoted family woman and a “great person.” “We are completely lost,” Atchley said.
Five women and two men, aged 20 to 65 years old, were injured in the shooting. Four of them remain hospitalized, including a woman in critical condition. Three victims were treated and released on Friday. Two police officers were also wounded, with one released from the hospital on Saturday evening and the other sustaining minor injuries.
Recent Surge in Mass Shootings Across the US
This incident is part of a troubling trend of mass shootings in the US. Since last Friday, there have been 24 mass shootings recorded by the Gun Violence Archive, including incidents at a Michigan splash pad, a Texas Juneteenth celebration, and a Massachusetts car meetup. So far in 2024, there have been at least 238 mass shootings in the United States, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an event where four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.
Eyewitness Accounts
Katrina Doherty, who was shopping with her 18-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son, initially mistook the sound of gunfire for something falling. Realizing the danger as glass shattered and people fell to the ground, she sought refuge. Doherty and others hid in a freezer, enduring freezing temperatures and the terror of the situation. Her daughter and son, who were in a different aisle, reunited with her and joined the group in the freezer. Doherty recounted hearing nine or ten rounds before reaching safety.
“We ran in there really fast. We still heard gunshots keep going off,” Doherty said. “It was like slow motion. My daughter was like ‘Mama, pinch me, this can’t be real.’ And I was like, ‘Baby, it’s real.’”
Outside, David Rodriguez heard what he initially thought were fireworks but soon realized were gunshots. He saw the grocery store’s front windows shattered and witnessed panicked shoppers fleeing.
Response and Aftermath
Doherty and the others remained in the freezer, with no cellphone service to call for help. They stayed inside, some praying and others crying, until a store worker eventually opened the door and saw a deceased person right outside. The group remained hidden until police arrived and escorted them out.
Doherty was reunited with her 15-year-old twin daughters, who had been waiting in the car outside during the shooting and ducked down when they heard the gunfire.
The tragic event has left the community in shock as authorities continue their investigation and provide support to the affected families.