Three people were killed and 10 injured in a shooting at a grocery store in Fordyce, Arkansas, according to the Arkansas State Police during a Friday news conference. Among the wounded are two police officers. The suspect, identified as 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey, was also injured and taken into custody.
Posey, from New Edinburg, faces three counts of capital murder, with additional charges pending, according to an Arkansas State Police release.
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Police received calls about an active shooter at the Mad Butcher grocery store around 11:30 a.m. local time, said Mike Hagar, Secretary of Public Safety and Director of Arkansas State Police. Law enforcement responded immediately and exchanged gunfire with the lone suspect.
The injuries to the officers and Posey are not life-threatening, Hagar noted. He confirmed the situation is secured and there are no ongoing threats to the community. The civilian injuries vary from non-life-threatening to extremely critical.
Posey, treated for non-life-threatening injuries after the gunfire exchange, was released to ASP custody and transported to the Ouachita County Detention Center. It is unclear if Posey has legal representation.
In 2024, at least 234 mass shootings have occurred in the U.S., per the Gun Violence Archive. The country has experienced a surge in shootings recently, with 21 mass shootings recorded since last Friday.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated she had been briefed on the Fordyce shooting and is in constant contact with state police.
Witness David Rodriguez told that he initially thought the gunfire was fireworks until he saw people running and heard sirens. The Mad Butcher’s front windows appeared to have been shot out.
Matthew Gill, the store’s meat manager, confirmed a man entered with a shotgun, resulting in a shootout with police.
During the chaos, some people hid in a cooler, said Fordyce City Council Member Roderick Rogers, who described the scene as traumatic and mentioned efforts to provide counseling.
Fordyce, a small city in southeast Dallas County, had a population of 3,396 in 2020.
