Victim of Grocery Store Shooting in Arkansas Dies During Ongoing Police Investigation
A guy pulled out a gun and began firing at the Mad Butcher in Fordyce last Friday, resulting in the deaths of four individuals aged 23 to 81 and the injury of nine more. The suspected shooter, identified as 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey, is expected to be charged with four counts of first-degree murder and additional charges are pending, according to a statement from the Arkansas State Police. Posey is expected to appear in court on Monday, as stated by Dallas County prosecutor Eric Marks.
Law enforcement arrived at the scene around 11:30 a.m. and engaged in a firefight with the suspect, as stated by the Arkansas State Police. A video captured on a cellphone showed a man outside the store aiming a long gun and firing in various directions.
A worker at the Mad Butcher, Matthew Gill, told CNN that a man entered the store holding a shotgun, and a shootout ensued between the man and the police.
Posey received treatment for non-fatal injuries after exchanging gunfire with the authorities and was taken to the Ouachita County Detention Center, as stated by the State Police. It is currently unclear if Posey has hired legal representation.
The four individuals who were killed in the shooting were identified 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, told CNN that her mother loved her family and children, was the hardest working woman she knew, and was a great person. Atchley stated that they were lost without her.
Five women and two men aged 20 to 65 were injured in the shooting. Four of them are still in the hospital, including a woman in critical condition. Three victims were treated and released on Friday, while two police officers were also wounded in the shooting. One officer was released from the hospital on Saturday evening, while the other has minor injuries.
In recent weeks, the United States has seen a series of shootings. Since last Friday, 24 mass shootings have been recorded by the Gun Violence Archive. Shootings occurred at a Michigan splash pad, a Texas Juneteenth celebration, and a Massachusetts car meetup, among other locations.
As of 2024, there have been at least 238 mass shootings in the United States, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.
Customers hid in freezers and ran for cover
Katrina Doherty, who was shopping with her 18-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son, initially thought she heard the sound of something falling but then saw glass break and someone hit the ground. She realized that shots were being fired.
Outside, David Rodriguez was pulling into a gas station when he heard popping sounds that he initially thought were fireworks. He then noticed the store’s front windows were broken, as if they had been shot open.
Customers then started running away as shots were fired rapidly, according to Rodriguez.
Not finding an escape route, Doherty and others in the store hurriedly hid in a freezer. Doherty’s daughter and son, who were in a different aisle, reunited with their mother in the back of the store and followed two store workers into the freezer. Doherty stated that she heard about nine or ten rounds before she made it into the freezer.
“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.’”
Rodriguez heard sirens and saw ambulances and police arrive at the scene from outside the store.
Doherty couldn’t hear what was happening outside, and when they tried to call 9-1-1, there was no service. The group stayed inside in panic mode, with some praying and others crying, according to Doherty.
Her son started crying, but Doherty managed to calm him down because she did not want the shooter to hear.
“We were just sitting there and praying. I was in panic mode. My son about froze to death. We tried to get him quiet, but he was saying he wanted his daddy. It felt like we were in there forever,” Doherty said. “We were in there maybe 15 minutes. I was asking the Lord to protect over everybody. I was just praying. The other lady, she was praying. She was crying.”
At one point, one of the workers opened the freezer door, and saw someone dead right outside the door, according to Doherty. The door remained shut until one of the store workers heard police outside, and they were then escorted out of the store, according to Doherty.
Once she was out of the store, Doherty reunited with her 15-year-old twin daughters who were waiting outside in the car during the shooting and hid when they heard the gunshots.
CNN’s Taylor Galgano, Zoe Sottile, Justin Lear, and Paradise Afshar contributed to this report.
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The authorities are currently investigating the tragic incident, and the community is mourning the loss of four citizens: Callie Weems, Roy Sturgis, Shirley Taylor, and Ellen Shrum. Despite the traumatic event, us as a nation must continue to address the issue of gun violence and work towards preventing such tragedies in the future.
Despite being injured, Travis Eugene Posey, the suspected shooter, is expected to appear in court on Monday. The community is left wondering if there was any way to prevent this senseless act of violence and if any actions can be taken to ensure the safety of its citizens in the future.
