Three people were killed and at least 11 others, including two police officers, were wounded in a mass shooting at a grocery store in Arkansas on Friday. The suspect, identified by the Ouachita County Sheriff's Office as Travis Posey, 44, was shot by police and arrested.
Posey, a truck driver, was previously arrested in 2011 for carrying a handgun at the entrance of a New York military base near the Canadian border. Mike Hagar, the Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Public Safety and Director of the Arkansas State Police said at a press conference that 11 civilians were shot, three of them fatally, at the Mad Butcher in Fordyce.
Killed in Broad Daylight
Hagar said that police received 911 calls reporting a shooting at around 11:38 a.m. Two law enforcement officers were also shot, but their injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Posey's injuries are also not life-threatening. As of Friday afternoon, the motive remained unclear. Hagar added that some of the civilian victims are in critical condition.
"It's tragic, our hearts are broken," he said.
Hagar confirmed that Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has already committed all necessary resources in response to the shooting.
A Facebook video posted at 11:59 a.m. local time showed that at least 11 shots were fired at the scene. "There's somebody lying in the parking lot, shot," the person who posted the video, Casey D. Rodriguez, said in the footage.
According to a video posted by KARK 4 News' Greg Yarborough, medical helicopters were seen landing near the scene shortly before 1:30 p.m.
Gory Scene
Reporter Tylisa Hampton posted that several shell casings were still scattered on the ground. "I am thankful to law enforcement and 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," Gov. Huckabee Sanders posted online ahead of the afternoon presser.
Posey, a truck driver from New Edinburg, Arkansas, was arrested in 2011 in New York for carrying a handgun at the Fort Drum military base in Watertown, about 30 miles from the Canadian border, according to a local report at the time.
He was initially charged with 4th-degree criminal possession of a weapon but later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in the town of LeRay Court. The police confiscated his gun, and he was fined $200.
Late Friday, the Arkansas State Police announced that Posey is being charged with three counts of capital murder, with additional charges pending.
