A gunman opened fire at a grocery store in Fordyce, Arkansas, on Friday, killing three people and injuring ten others, including two law enforcement officers, authorities said. The shooting occurred around 11:30 a.m. at the Mad Butcher grocery store, leaving the store and nearby cars riddled with bullet holes. Bystanders scrambled for cover both inside and outside the store, as the chaotic scene unfolded.
State police identified the suspect as 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey of New Edinburg. The officers, who exchanged gunfire with Posey, and Posey himself sustained injuries that were not life-threatening. The remaining injuries ranged from “not life-threatening to extremely critical,” according to Col. Mike Hagar, director of the Arkansas State Police. Posey was apprehended and taken to jail, where he was charged with three counts of capital murder. Additional charges are pending.
The shooting in Fordyce marks the latest tragedy involving a grocery store as its backdrop. In 2022, a white supremacist fatally shot ten Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. This incident followed a similar shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, a year earlier, where ten people lost their lives.
Witnesses described a scene of chaos and fear. Roderick Rogers, a city council member, recounted hearing about the shooting from employees at his nearby restaurant and witnessing people running in every direction, including towards the nearby hospital. Amiya Doherty, who was in her mother’s car in the parking lot, described hearing what she initially thought were fireworks before seeing a man firing a gun and ducking for cover.
Video footage captured the aftermath of the shooting, showing multiple gunshots and a person lying in the parking lot. Images from the scene revealed numerous bullet holes in the store’s windows and spent shell casings scattered across the parking lot. Local and state agencies responded to the scene, with a medical helicopter landing nearby.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders expressed her condolences and gratitude to law enforcement and first responders. President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting, and his team will continue to provide updates. Police have not yet released the identities of the victims or a motive for the shooting.
