3 people were killed and 10 were hurt in a shooting outside of an Arkansas grocery store
A large-scale shooting outside a grocery store in Fordyce, Arkansas, on Friday resulted in three fatalities and ten injuries, according to state police. During an afternoon press conference, authorities stated that although two law enforcement officers were among the injured, their conditions are not life-threatening.
At 11:38 a.m. local time on Friday, Arkansas State Police responded to the Mad Butcher grocery shop. Authorities claimed that after they arrived, the lone suspect and the officers exchanged gunfire.
A man with a shotgun appears to be firing at police in the parking lot, and the policemen appear to be responding by firing back in a video clip from the incident.
Mike Hagar, director of the Arkansas Department of Public Safety, stated during the briefing that the eight individuals who were injured had injuries that ranged from extremely serious to non-life-threatening.
“This is a safe and contained scenario. Threats to the community are not currently present.”
The gunman, Travis Eugene Posey, 44, of New Edinburg, Arkansas, was taken into custody by the authorities. Following his non-life-threatening injuries from the shootout with the officers, he was reportedly treated at a hospital before being placed under arrest by state police on three counts of capital murder.
David Rodriguez, one of the witnesses, was at the gas station next to the supermarket when the gunfire began. He said to CBS News that when he first “heard some popping” when he pulled into the petrol station, he mistook it for fireworks. After hearing the sirens and witnessing the cops arrive, he claimed, “people just started running all over the place.”
Rodriguez heard the bullets, pulled out his phone, and began to record. He may be heard saying, “There is someone lying in the parking lot shot.”
As Rodriguez stated to CBS News, “It was quite a scare.”
Three doors down from the grocery store, Ken Vanderzwalm worked for a lawn mower supplier. He told CBS News that as the shooting began, a number of individuals raced into their shop “crying and screaming.” Former police officer Vanderzwalm claimed to have been armed and to have informed the public that they would “be safe” inside the building.
“We had a lot of kids who were really traumatized,” he stated.
Vanderzwalm said he was feeling a little shaken up and compared it to “something you see on TV,” where gunfire was heard nonstop.
“I have been briefed on the tragic shooting in Fordyce, and I’m in constant contact with State Police at the scene,” stated Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas on social media. I appreciate the swift and brave actions taken by law enforcement and first responders to save lives. My thoughts and prayers are with the affected parties and the victims of this.”
In reaction to the gunshot, special agents from the ATF’s New Orleans field office are at the site and offering assistance, according to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“We are grateful for the law enforcement officers who put themselves in harm’s way by engaging the suspect and bringing him into custody,” the White House stated in a statement. The local investigation is being assisted by federal law enforcement.”