Suspected gunman who left three dead and 10 hurt at Arkansas supermarket is identified as 44-year-old man

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.

Key Points

• Arkansas shooting: Cops say 11 people shot, with three dead

• In pictures: Police on the scene of Arkansas supermarket shooting

• Fordyce residents: ‘today was a terrible day for our little town’

• Ex-cop recounts kids rushing into his store to escape mass shooting at Arkansas grocery

Multiple people injured in shooting at Arkansas grocery store:

Friday 21 June 2024 19:35 , Mike Bedigan

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’

Friday 21 June 2024 19:39 , Mike Bedigan

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

Friday 21 June 2024 19:43 , Mike Bedigan

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

Friday 21 June 2024 19:48 , Mike Bedigan

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

Friday 21 June 2024 19:55 , Mike Bedigan

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

Friday 21 June 2024 20:00 , Mike Bedigan

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

Friday 21 June 2024 20:08 , Mike Bedigan

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’

Friday 21 June 2024 20:21 , Mike Bedigan

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

Friday 21 June 2024 20:30 , Mike Bedigan

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.

In pictures: Police on the scene of Arkansas supermarket shooting

Friday 21 June 2024 20:40 , Mike Bedigan

Police to hold press conference on Arkansas shooting

Friday 21 June 2024 20:47 , Mike Bedigan

Shot law enforcement officer’s injuries are ‘non-life-threatening'

Friday 21 June 2024 20:49 , Mike Bedigan

According to the Arkansas State Police, the injuries of officer wounded in the supermarket shooting were “non-life-threatening.”

“At approximately 11:30 a.m. today, Arkansas State Police (ASP) responded to a shooting incident at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce. A total of nine individuals were shot,” a statement from the force read.

“Seven of the shooting victims were civilians, with two fatalities. One law enforcement officer was also shot and has non-life-threatening injuries.”

Ex-cop recounts kids rushing into his store to escape mass shooting at Arkansas grocery

Friday 21 June 2024 22:10 , Mike Bedigan

A retired police officer described a chaotic scene in Fordyce as rapid gunfire rang out through the area.

Ken Van Der Zwalm, who works round the corner from the Mad Butcher supermarket, said he saw people “running everywhere” including little children who were “traumatized” by the incident.

“I was outside and I heard what I thought somebody was throwing stuff in the dumpster,” he told The Independent.

“That’s kind of what it sounded like.”“I said, ‘well, that’s too much stuff going in the dumpster,’ so I got to listening, and it was actually rapid fire from a gun, because it was a deeper sound.

“I listened to it for a while, and then the news started coming out. People were running everywhere, and we had several people that ran to the store that were screaming and crying, and little children traumatized by what was going on.

“So we gave them refuge in the store, as a former police officer, I was armed. I told them that they were safe where were they were.

“We kept the children safe, and waited till their family or somebody come to pick them up.”

Ex-cop: ‘I’ve never experienced fire like that'

Friday 21 June 2024 22:45 , Mike Bedigan

Ken Van Der Zwalm told The Independent that, even as a former police officer, he had “never experienced” gunfire like that during the Arkansas grocery store shooting.

“It’s gonna mark those kids that we took in. It’s gonna mark them for life because they were right there,” he said. “They were at the scene.

“It’s gonna affect them for the rest of their lives. They definitely need prayers.”

He added: “I’m a former police officer, and I’ve never experienced fire like that.”

Watch” Multiple gunshots heard during shooting in Arkansas

Saturday 22 June 2024 00:00 , Mike Bedigan

‘We gave them refuge’: Ex-cop recounts kids rushing into his store to escape mass shooting at Arkansas supermarket

01:00 , Mike Bedigan

Ken Van Der Zwalm described the chaotic Friday scene and said the youngsters caught up in the shooting would be “marked for life”

The former police officer spoke to The Independent just hours after the deadly attack in Fordyce, Arkansas, occurred.

Read the full story here:

Arkansas grocery store shooting: Ex-cop recalls saving kids at the Fordyce scene

Suspect in Arkansas shooting identified

02:00 , Mike Bedigan

The suspect in the Arkansas supermarket shooting that left three people dead has been identified by authorities as 44-year-old Travis Posey.

Posey was booked into the Ouachita County Jail and charged with first degree murder, according to jail records.

Buffalo dedicates park-like space to victims on second anniversary of racist mass shooting

02:00 , Mike Bedigan

Friday’s attack on an Arkansas supermarket comes shortly after the two-year anniversary of a similar incident in Buffalo, New York.

On May 14 the city marked anniversary of the racist mass shooting, in which 10 Black people were killed, with the dedication of a memorial space honoring the victims.

Read the story here:

Buffalo dedicates park-like space to victims on second anniversary of racist mass shooting

Arkansas Governor praises ‘heroic action’ of law enforcement

03:00 , Mike Bedigan

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement saying she had been briefed on the “tragic shooting.”

“I’m in constant contact with State Police at the scene,” Huckabee said.

“I am thankful to law enforcement and first responders for their quick and heroic action to save lives. My prayers are with the victims and all those impacted by this horrific incident.”

Witness describes bullets hitting his car: ‘I’m just mad'

04:00 , Mike Bedigan

Army veteran Ronald Clayton described the moment that he realized bullets were hitting his car as he pulled into the Mad Butcher grocery store on Friday.

Clayton told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette that he and his wife were pulling into the parking lot of the grocery store when he though he heard something hitting his car’s windshield.

“I thought there was kids in them trees throwing rocks,” Clayton told the Gazette.

After realizing the sounds were from bullets, he pushed his wife to the floor of the vehicle and sped away from the scene. Clayton said he saw a person he thought was a deputy standing in front of the store with a rifle as he left the area.

“My wife ain’t doing too good, I’m just mad,” he said.

He counted 21 bullet strikes on the front passenger side of his car including one punctured his right tire. Marks where bullets cracked the windshield glass and skimmed off were visible, as were places where bullets failed to penetrate the metal body panel.

“I ain’t seen this since I was in the military,” Clayton said.

In pictures: The scene of Arkansas shooting

06:00 , Mike Bedigan

Victim update: Cops say 11 people shot, with three dead

08:01 , Mike Bedigan

At a press conference on Friday afternoon authorities updtaed the total victim count of the Arkansas supermarket shooting, saying that 11 civilians had been shot and three were killed.

They also noted that two officers were shot during the incident and the suspect was shot before being taken into custody.

Several agencies including the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office and Arkansas State Police Department are on the scene near the Mad Butcher located on West 4th Street in Dallas County.

ICYMI: Arkansas shooter ‘critically injured’ by law enforcement

10:00 , Mike Bedigan

The suspected shooter at the Arkansas supermarket was “critically injured” after being shot by police and was later taken into custody.

“The shooter was critically injured after being shot by law enforcement and has been taken into custody,” a statement from Arkansas State Police said.

ASP will hold a briefing at 3:30pm where officers will provide further updates.

In pictures: Bullet holes at the scene of Arkansas supermarket shooting

12:00 , Mike Bedigan

ICYMI: Multiple gunshots heard during shooting in Arkansas

13:00 , Mike Bedigan