Mass shooting in the USA: Death toll in attack on grocery store in Arkansas rises to 4

A fourth victim has died in the shooting at a grocery store in Fordyce, Arkansas. A total of 14 people were injured, including nine civilians and two police officers.

The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. Friday, leaving the community in shock as bystanders fought for their lives. The suspect, Travis Eugene Posey, 44, of New Edinburg, has been charged with four counts of capital murder. Police have not yet released a motive for the shooting, AP reported.

The dead victims were identified as Shirley Taylor, 62, Callie Weems, 23, Roy Sturgis, 50, and Ellen Shrum, 81. All were civilians. Among the injured, ranging in age from 20 to 65, are four people who are still hospitalized, one of them in critical condition. Two police officers were also injured: Fordyce police officer James Johnson, 31, who has since been released from the hospital, and Stuttgart police officer John Hudson, 24, whose injuries were minor.

Suspect Posey was treated for non-life threatening injuries after he exchanged gunfire with police. “He was treated for non-life threatening injuries after he exchanged gunfire with police,” police said. After treatment, Posey was taken into police custody and transported to the Ouachita County Detention Center.

A press conference on the shooting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday. As of Friday, a state police spokesman could not confirm whether Posey had an attorney. The Ouachita County Sheriff’s Office confirmed his arrest but had no information on his legal status.

The tragedy occurred at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, a town of about 3,200 people 65 miles south of Little Rock. Videos on social media showed at least one person lying in the parking lot accompanied by the sound of several gunshots.

City Council member Roderick Rogers spoke about the incident. “People were just jumping in their cars to get to safety,” he said. Rogers had been informed of the shooting by employees at his nearby restaurant. When he arrived at the scene, he saw people running in all directions, seeking shelter. One even ran to the local hospital.

Images captured by reporters on the scene showed numerous bullet holes in the store’s windows and shell casings scattered across the parking lot. In response, local and state authorities could be seen landing nearby with at least one rescue helicopter.

This incident is the latest in a series of mass shootings at grocery stores. In 2022, a white supremacist killed ten black people in a Buffalo supermarket. This attack followed a similar event in 2021 in Boulder, Colorado, where ten people were shot and killed in a supermarket.