On Friday morning, a shooting incident occurred at the Mad Butcher supermarket in Fordyce, Arkansas, a city with a population of just over 3,000, located approximately 65 miles south of Little Rock. The incident began when a marksman, later identified as 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey, opened fire, causing damage to parked buses and shop windows. In response, two police officers were injured and returned fire before Posey was apprehended and arrested.
Posey was subsequently charged with three counts of murder, with additional charges pending. Despite the injuries sustained by Posey and the officers not being life-threatening, the extent of injuries among other victims varied from non-life-threatening to extremely critical. The motive behind the shooting and whether it occurred primarily inside or outside the supermarket remained unclear.
Colonel Mike Hagar, director of Arkansas State Police, expressed the gravity of the situation, stating that the incident was "woeful" and that "our hearts are broken." Roderick Rogers, a city council member, was an eyewitness to the attack, describing the scene as people fled for safety in all directions, with some seeking refuge in nearby buses.
As of the report, no court date had been set for Posey, and the investigation into the shooting was ongoing.