Suspect Booked In Connection To Fatal Arkansas Mass Shooting

On Friday, June 21, 2024, a mass shooting was reported outside a grocery store in Fordyce, Arkansas.

Three people were killed, and 10 others were wounded in the shooting, including two police officers who suffered non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to recover.

Following the deadly Arkansas mass shooting, a suspect has been booked and is being held at Ouachita County Detention Center. A motive is unclear at this time.

According to THV11, the suspect has been identified as 44-year-old Travis Posey. He is in custody and will be charged with three counts of capital murder. Additional charges are pending.

After exchanging gunfire with law enforcement, Posey was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, per the Arkansas State Police.

Cell phone footage captured by Casey Rodriguez of the Arkansas mass shooting was shared on various social media platforms, showing emergency services rushing to the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce on Friday morning after reports of a shooting.

Families were shopping at a local grocery store in a small Arkansas town when gunfire rang out, causing them to run for cover or hide in a freezer.

Katrina Doherty, who was shopping for dinner with her 18-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son, initially thought she heard something falling. However, when she saw glass shatter and someone drop to the ground, she realized shots were being fired. She then followed two store workers into the freezer for cover.

“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.’”

“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.”

David Rodriguez told CNN he was pulling into a gas station when he heard “pops” that he initially thought were fireworks. However, he then noticed the grocery store’s front windows were broken – as if they had been “shot open” by gunfire.

He then witnessed several shoppers running away as the gunshots were fired rapidly.

Roderick Rogers, a Fordyce City Counselor and the man who called 911 during the incident spoke to ABC following the mass shooting. "Listen, continue to pray for the city of Fordyce," Rogers said. "This is a very devastating day for us. Never in a million years would we think something like this would happen. It's a lot of families involved that's affected, so just continue to pray for them."

According to Arkansas State Police, the suspect opened fire at the Mad Butcher in Fordyce, killing three and injuring 10 others. Law enforcement arrived around 11:30 a.m. and exchanged gunfire with the "lone suspect."

According to Matthew Gill, the meat manager at the Mad Butcher, a man came into the store with a shotgun and engaged in a shootout with police, he told CNN.

The outlet reported that two police officers were wounded in the gunfire, but are expected to live. “The remaining civilian injuries range from non-life threatening to extremely critical,” Arkansas State Police said.

The suspect, Travis Posey, was “treated for non-life-threatening injuries after exchanging gunfire with law enforcement, released to ASP custody, and transported to the Ouachita County Detention Center,” ASP said per a news release.