Four dead and 13 injured after mass shooting outside grocery store in Arkansas

This Friday morning, a shooting outside the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, Ark., left a devastating toll of four people dead and at least 13 injured, according to local authorities.

The alleged shooter was arrested after an exchange of gunfire with the State Police. Before his capture, the man injured eight civilians, whose conditions ranged from minor to critical. Among the injured are also two law enforcement officers, though their lives are not at risk, as confirmed by Mike Hagar, director and secretary of Public Safety of the Arkansas State Police.

The shooting, which occurred around 11:30 a.m., prompted an immediate response from multiple law enforcement agencies and emergency services in the area. Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos and confusion as victims were evacuated from the scene.

“Multiple agencies were down here trying to figure out what was going on. We saw policemen running around the pharmacy, which is right next door to the Mad Butcher. It was pretty hectic," said a person who works in front of the scene of the shooting.

Odis Allen, a decades-long Fordyce resident, expressed shock: "I never saw something like this happen in Fordyce, Arkansas."

Meanwhile, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement via social media, showing her support and gratitude to authorities and first responders for their quick and heroic action to save lives. "My prayers are with the victims and all those impacted by this," she said.

The incident has deeply shocked the community of Fordyce, a town of about 3,200 people located about 65 miles south of Little Rock.

The investigation

The suspect, who was wounded before being captured, was identified as Eugene Posey, according to the the local news site KARK.

The 44-year-old man, a native of New Edinburgh, Ark., faces at least four murder charges.

Authorities have now released the identities of the deceased. The fatalities were reported to be Callie Weems, 23; Roy Sturgis, 50; Shirley Taylor, 62; and Ellen Shrum, 81. Police did not disclose the identities of the injured civilians and are still investigating the possible motives that led the man to commit this tragic act.

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