3 dead, multiple wounded in shooting at Mad Butcher grocery store in Arkansas

David K. Li and Dennis Romero
·2 min read
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A gunman opened fire at an Arkansas grocery store Friday, killing at least three and wounding several others, authorities said.

The deadly incident unfolded about 11:30 a.m. CT at the Mad Butcher in Fordyce, a small town about 70 miles south of Little Rock.

Eleven people were wounded, including the three who died, Arkansas State Police said in a news conference Friday afternoon. Two officers were also injured but had non-life-threatening injuries.

The shooter was critically wounded by police with non-life-threatening injuries and taken into custody, police said.

Meat cutter Matt Gill was in the back of the store when he heard gunfire and shattering glass.

“He came in and started shooting,” Gill said. “We made it out the back door. I had to get out there, I have a wife and kids at home.”

The shooting appeared to begin in the parking lot as sisters Amiya and Ashiya Doherty were in the back of the family SUV where they said they were nearly struck.

“He shot at my mother’s car and hit the tire and pssshshsh,” Amiya said, mimicking the sound of air escaping.

Car windows all around them were shot, but the sisters’ SUV had only tire damage. Amiya said she grabbed her sister Ashiya and pulled her down to avoid being hit.

“It was like a movie,” said Ashiya, who was also unharmed.

The violence stunned Roderick Rogers, a Fordyce native and pastor at Grace United Church.

“I saw people just lying in the parking lot,” he said. “There were shots going on everywhere.”

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders praised authorities for their immediate reaction.

“I am thankful to law enforcement and first responders for their quick and heroic action to save lives,” she said in a statement.

Fordyce is a city with a population of 3,396 and a median household income of $35,116, that is less than half the nationwide median of $74,580, according to the U.S. Census Bureau data.

The Arkansas attack follows a mass shooting in Oakland, California on Wednesday, when 15 people were wounded during Juneteenth events near Lake Merritt, officials said.

Also on Wednesday, seven people were injured after a shooting in Philadelphia, officials said.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com