Fourth Arkansas mass shooting victim dies as suspect faces capital murder charges
The only grocery store in the small town of Fordyce will remain closed as the investigation continues
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Police announced that a fourth victim of the Fordyce, Arkansas shooting died one day after a gunman opened fire in a supermarket that left nine others injured.
Suspect Travis Posey, 44, faces four counts of capital murder — with additional charges pending — after he allegedly started shooting in Mad Butcher grocery store, the only supermarket in the small Arkansas town, on Friday, June 21 at 11:38am.
Fourteen people were struck by gunfire in total, including 11 civilians, two law enforcement officers and the suspect, Arkansas State Police said. Four of the injured have since died: Shirley Taylor, 62, Callie Weems, 23 Roy Sturgis, 50, and Ellen Shrum, 81.
Seven other civilians — five female victims and two male, ranging in age from 20 to 65 — also suffered gunshot wounds. Four of them are still in the hospital, police said, including one woman in critical condition. The three others were treated and released from the hospital on Friday. Police did not reveal their identities.
Two police officers were also hit in the crossfire. Fordyce Police Officer James Johnson, 31, suffered a gunshot wound and was released from the hospital on Saturday evening, while Stuttgart Police Officer John Hudson, 24, received minor injuries.
Posey, the suspect, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after exchanging gunfire with law enforcement and was then taken to Ouachita County Detention Center.
The motive is still unknown for a shooting. Arkansas State Police are investigating the massacre — the second mass shooting in the state this month alone, Gun Violence Archive data shows.
The Flaming Pig BBQ in nearby Camden, Arkansas launched a fundraiser to “assist in caring for these families who have suffered such a great loss.”
Families of the victims have described who their loved ones were before a gunman took their lives.
The grieving daughter of Shirley Taylor told the outlet about her love of crocheting, her dedication to caring for her husband, her hardworking nature, and loveable personality.
“There’s no words,” Angela Atchley told THV11. “She was my best friend. She was our family rock.”
The 81-year-old Ellen Shrum also lost her life in the tragedy. One Fordyce resident wrote on Facebook that Shrum had owned a florist for years “making beautiful arrangements,” adding that Shrum “was an amazing, kind-hearted soul.”
Roy Sturgis was also killed in the massacre. Family, friends and neighbors described him in an online obituary. One elementary school classmate wrote that Sturgis was “good man, hard worker, great father” with a “sweet face and cotton top hair.” Another old friend remarked that Sturgis was“always courteous and brave enough to speak out to any playground bully that crossed his or your path.”
The tragedy also claimed the life of Callie Weems, a nurse and mother of a 10-month-old baby. Her relatives spoke to her character.
“You can stab her in the back 17 times,” Weems’ mother Helen Browning told NBC News, “and she’d still help you.” Her stepfather called her “the sweetest girl” who was “always worried about other people.”
Browning said she knew the gunman since he was a child, telling Fox 16: “I just want to know why Joey Posey woke up this morning and decided he needed to go ruin families lives.”
Shoppers said when they heard gunshots, they fled for the freezers, hiding there and keeping quiet to stay safe. “My son about froze to death,” one shopper told CNN, saying it felt like they were hiding “in there forever.”
Mad Butcher announced in a Facebook post that the store will be closed until after the investigation concludes: “We are shocked and deeply saddened over the senseless act of violence that occurred yesterday at our Fordyce store…Our hearts go out to all of the victims, their families, and all those affected.”