4 Killed, 9 Hurt in Shooting Outside Arkansas Grocery Store

Four people were killed and nine injured, including two police officers, when a gunman opened fire Friday morning outside a grocery store in Fordyce, Ark., according to state police.

Law enforcement responded to calls around 11:40 a.m. on Friday about a shooting at the Mad Butcher grocery store, said Mike Hagar, director of the Arkansas State Police. The shooter was taken into custody after he was shot in an exchange of gunfire with officers, he said.

Initially, three people were killed and 10 injured in the shooting, including the two officers, whose injuries were not life-threatening, police said. Others were critically hurt, Hagar added.

One of the wounded died a day later on Saturday evening, bringing the death toll to four, the police said. Those killed in the shooting were Shirley Taylor, 62, Callie Weems, 23, Roy Sturgis, 50, and Ellen Shrum, 81.

The alleged gunman’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, officials said. A motive for the attack remains unknown.

Police on Friday identified the suspected gunman as Travis Eugene Posey, 44, of New Edinburg, Ark., about 11 miles southeast of Fordyce.

He will be charged with four counts of capital murder, state police said in a statement. Additional charges are pending.

Fordyce is approximately 70 miles south of Little Rock, with a population of slightly more than 3,700, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Nancy Brazil said she and her parents were on their way to do their weekly grocery shopping when they found themselves in the line of fire.

“My dad got out of the car and heard gunshots. He went back inside but the gunman started shooting at their car, he told me,” Brazil told The Washington Post.

Her father, Thomas Brazil Sr., 65, had a bullet graze his forehead, but he was not seriously injured, Brazil said. Her 61-year-old mother, Sharon, was not physically hurt, she said.

“It’s a blessing they are okay,” Brazil said, adding that her parents’ car was shot more than 20 times.

“Never in a million years would I have thought something like this would happen in this small town,” she said. “I mean, everybody knows everybody. This stuff doesn’t happen here.”

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in a post on social media, thanked 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,” she wrote.

{Matzav.com}