Suspected gunman who left three dead and 10 hurt at Arkansas supermarket is identified as 44-year-old man
Travis Posey was taken to the Ouachita County Jail and charged with first degree murder following the shocking attack on Friday
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Ten people were injured and three were killed, in a shooting at an Arkansas grocery store on Friday afternoon.
The shooting was reported at the Mad Butcher market in Fordyce, about 70 miles south of Little Rock, around noon, according to local outlets.
Deputies said that a shooter was also “critically injured” after being shot by police and had been taken into custody.
Police later confirmed at a press conference that a total of 14 people had been injured from gunfire.
All three of those who died were civilians, with eight more injured. Two law enforcement officers were also wounded.
Authorities later identified the shooter as 44-year-old Travis Posey. He was taken to the Ouachita County Jail and charged with first degree murder. His motive for the shocking attack remains unknown.
Video online showed a heavy police presence at the local grocery story. Locals later described the incident at the Fordyce supermarket as “a terrible day for our little town”.
“This is a small town and we personally know several people that were very nearby when the shooting took place. It’s just such a horrible thing that happened to people simply trying to grocery shop,” Fordyce resident Charise Ellson wrote on Facebook.
Multiple people injured in shooting at Arkansas grocery store:
Multiple people have been injured, including a police officer, during a shooting at an Arkansas grocery store on Friday.
The shooting was reported at the Mad Butcher market in Fordyce, about 70 miles south of Little Rock, around noon, according to the Southeast Arkansas Times.
Deputies said that a shooter has been contained, but the scene is still active. Video online showed a heavy police presence at the local grocery story.
Authorities have not released any other information or details on injuries or the number of shooters.
Follow The Independent’s live coverage of the incident here.
‘At least eight’ injured in Arkansas ‘shootout’
At least eight people were wounded, including “at least one law enforcement officer,” in a shooting incident in Fordyce around noon, according to reports.
A Dallas County Courthouse employee told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette at least four active shooters were involved in the incident.
It is currently unknown if all the shooters were accounted for.
The employee told the outlet said at least one of the victims was in critical condition, following the “shootout”.
A incident report said the incident involved two groups and “AR-15 style weapons” were used, according to the Southeast Arkansas Times.
Graphic footage shows body lying in parking lot
In a video posted on Facebook by a member of the public at least 10 gunshots can be heard ringing out in the area.
Graphic footage, taken from afar, appeared to show a body lying in a parking lot.
The person who shot the video, Casey D. Rodriguez, said the location was the Mad Butcher.
“There’s somebody lying in the parking lot, shot,” Rodriguez says in the video.
Motive for Arkansas supermarket shooting unknown
Calhoun County Judge Floyd Nutt confirmed the fatality following the shooting, but said the scene was no longer active.
Calhoun County sent law enforcement to aid in the response.
The motive for the shootings, allegedly involving four armed individuals, remains unknown at this point.
Arkansas incident comes two years on from racist attack at Buffalo supermarket
The shooting in Arkansas, comes just over two years on from a similar mass shooting incident at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.
Ten Black people were killed and three others were injured in the racially motivated incident at the Tops grocery store.
Payton Gendron, who is white, is serving a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole after he pleaded guilty to state charges of murder and hate-motivated domestic terrorism.
Gendron, who was 18 when he livestreamed the massacre after driving three hours from his home in Conklin, New York, could face the death penalty if convicted of pending federal hate crimes. He has pleaded not guilty in that case.
Last month the city of Buffalo marked the second anniversary of the shooting with the dedication of a memorial space honoring the victims.
Anchoring the space outside the Tops supermarket now stands a sculpture entitled “Unity,” which features purple metal pillars representing each person killed. Three gold pillars represent those who were wounded.
Medical helicopters on the scene
Footage shared on social media showed medical helicopters arriving at the scene of the Arkansas shooting.
The precise number of victims has not been confirmed, though one person has confirmed to have died.
Two people killed and eight wounded in shooting
According to police, two people were killed and eight others wounded in the shooting at grocery store in south Arkansas.
The exact number of shooters, or their motive is still unclear.
There remains an ongoing police presence at the scene.
Fordyce residents: ‘today was a terrible day for our little town’
Locals have described the incident at the Fordyce supermarket as “a terrible day for our little town”.
Fordyce resident Charise Ellson described the shooting as a “horrific tragedy” as she thanked law enforcement for their quick response.
“To all our family and Facebook friends.. We are ok. Today was a terrible day for our little town of Fordyce Arkansas,” Ellson wrote on Facebook.
“I am sure you will all soon hear of the mass shooting that took place in Fordyce at our local grocery store. The police quickly responded and as far as we know they have the shooter in custody, and unfortunately several people were shot. There is still a strong police presence in the area as they continue to work.
“Thank you so much to the police for their quick response to apprehend the assailant and keeping others in nearby stores safe.
“This is a small town and we personally know several people that were very nearby when the shooting took place. It’s just such a horrible thing that happened to people simply trying to grocery shop.”
Local city Mayor ‘narrowly’ avoids scene of Arkansas shooting
The mayor of Kingsland, a city in Arkansas, has said she narrowly missed coming upon the shooting in the Mad Butcher parking lot in Fordyce.
Mayor Sharon Crosby said she was taking the side street into the grocery store parking lot when a young man motioned for her to go back.
She told local outlet the Cleveland County Herald that as she was retreating, she heard several “pops” of gunfire.
One of the shots, she added, appeared to hit the ground right next to a police officer as he scrambled behind his squad car for protection.
Crosby said she drove her car into a car wash bay near the scene in an attempt to avoid an encounter with a suspect trying to flee the scene.
The mayor left the scene shortly after and saw several police vehicles with their lights on headed toward Fordyce.
