Accused gunman in Arkansas supermarket killing denies capital murder accusations, claims lawyer.
Travis Eugene Posey, 44, unleashed a hail of bullets at the Mad Meat Shop in Fordyce on a Friday, armed to teeth with a pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun, and a belt loaded with extra shotgun ammo, authorities claimed.
Posey pleaded not guilty during his debut court appearance in Ouachita County, where he's been locked up since the shootout in neighboring Dallas County, as reported by Jeff Rogers, the prosecutor for the 13th Judicial District of Arkansas, to CNN. He's currently held without bond, and his next court date is yet to be scheduled.
CNN reached out to Posey’s defense attorney for comment.
Posey may face additional charges, depending on the outcome of the investigation, according to the Arkansas State Police, as announced in a press release.
Authorities suspect Posey started targeting victims in the parking lot following his truck's exit, and then stormed into the store.
He then pulled the trigger indiscriminately on customers and employees inside the store, as per Hagar.
“The suspect entered the Mad Meat Shop armed," Hagar said during a press conference. “It appears that most, if not all the bullets fired by the suspect were from the shotgun."
A motive is still unclear, police say.
Law enforcement arrived at the scene around 11:30 a.m. and instantly exchanged bullets with the suspect, as reported by state police.
“He immediately engaged in a shootout with the law enforcement, where they successfully neutralized the threat," Hagar said.
Posey was taken to the Ouachita County Detention Center after receiving non-critical injuries, as per state police's press release.
Victims honored by their families as devoted parents and grandparents
Seven people ranging from 20 to 65 years old were hit by bullets, and two officers responding to the incident were wounded, according to police records.
The four fatalities are identified as Callie Weems, 23; Ellen “Janie” Shrum, 81; Roy Sturgis, 50; and Shirley Taylor, 62.
Weems leaves behind her 10-month-old daughter, Ivy, according to a GoFundMe page set up by family friends to help cover her funeral costs.
“With Ivy being left alone, this is a great way for Helen (Callie’s mother) to also aid in her future. She adored her child and everyone witnessed her being a superb mom," the campaign, verified by GoFundMe, states.
The current victim’s mother, Helen Browning, is also grieving the loss of another: She said Sturgis, a logger and a loving father, was a vital part of her extended family, as reported by the Associated Press.
The oldest victim, Shrum, leaves behind her husband of 63 years, their three children, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who knew her fondly as “Grammie."
“She was entirely selfless," her son, Tait Shrum, told CNN. “She didn’t have a selfish bone in her body."
Taylor's daughter, Angela Atchley, told CNN her mother loved her family and children, describing her as “the hardest working woman I know."
“We are completely lost,” she said.
CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas and Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.
