“A fourth victim of the Friday morning mass shooting at a grocery store in Fordyce has died, the Arkansas State Police announced Saturday night.
The state police also released the names and ages of those killed: Shirley Taylor, 62; Callie Weems, 23; Roy Sturgis, 50; and Ellen Shrum, 81. The shooting took place at the Mad Butcher, a grocery chain in south and east Arkansas.
Ten others were injured, including two law enforcement officers and the suspect, Travis Eugene Posey, who survived after being wounded by police. Posey, 44, who is from the neighboring community of New Edinburg, is being held at the Ouachita County Detention Center in Camden.
National news reports on the shooting include harrowing details from witnesses and family members of the victims. CNN spoke to shoppers and workers who sought shelter in a walk-in freezer.
The state police said the other “civilian” victims ranged in age from 20 to 65. One, a woman, is in critical condition at UAMS in Little Rock. Three others are also hospitalized — no details were given on their conditions — and three were treated and released from the Dallas County Medical Center yesterday. The officers injured in the shooting were James Johnson, 31, of the Fordyce Police Department, and John Hudson, 24, an officer from Stuttgart.
Here’s the full press release:
June 22, 2024
A fourth victim injured in Friday’s Fordyce grocery store shooting passed way this evening.
A total of 14 people were injured from gunfire Friday, June 21, 2024, including 11 civilians, two law enforcement officers and the suspect.
Those killed in the shooting were all civilians. They were:
Shirley Taylor, 62
Callie Weems, 23
Roy Sturgis, 50
Ellen Shrum, 81Five female and two male civilians, ranging in age from 20 to 65, survived injuries sustained in the shooting. Four of those individuals remain hospitalized, including a woman who is in critical condition at UAMS in Little Rock. Three of the injured civilians were treated and released from the Dallas County Medical Center on Friday.
Fordyce Police Officer James Johnson, 31, was released from a Little Rock hospital this evening after being treated for a gunshot wound. Stuttgart Police Officer John Hudson, 24, received minor injuries.
Suspect Travis Eugene Posey, 44, of New Edinburg, will be charged with four counts of Capital Murder. Additional charges are pending. He was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after exchanging gunfire with law enforcement, released to ASP custody, and transported to the Ouachita County Detention Center.
ASP’s Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the shooting that occurred on Friday, June 21, 2024, at approximately 11:38 a.m. at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce.
ASP Colonel Mike Hagar will hold a media briefing at 2 p.m. tomorrow, June 23, 2024. Media should arrive no later than 1:45 p.m. in the main lobby of ASP Headquarters at One State Police Plaza Drive, Little Rock.