Travis Eugene Posey, the Arkansas man accused of a mass shooting at a grocery store that killed four people and injured 10 others, including two police officers, pleaded not guilty to multiple charges in court. The 44-year-old is facing four counts of capital murder and ten counts of attempted capital murder for the shooting at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce. Police have not yet identified a motive for Posey, who was shot and injured by officers during the incident. Posey’s attorney, Gregg Parrish, stated that the family is devastated for the victims and their families and saddened by the events that took place.
During the shooting, Posey carried a 12-gauge shotgun, a pistol, and a bandolier with extra shotgun rounds. He fired most of the rounds using the shotgun, targeting people in the parking lot before entering the store and shooting at customers and employees. Multiple gunshot victims were found both inside the store and in the parking lot. The incident took place in the middle of the day in Fordyce, a small city located about 65 miles south of Little Rock. This mass shooting at a grocery store is at least the third of its kind in the last three years in the United States.
Posey, who lived in New Edinburg, a small town southeast of Fordyce, had limited to no criminal history prior to the incident. In 2011, he was arrested at the entrance of Fort Drum in New York and charged with misdemeanor criminal possession of a weapon. Posey, who identified himself as a truck driver making a delivery, voluntarily disclosed that he had an unloaded pistol to the police at the gate. Despite the arrest, Posey ultimately pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a $200 fine. The judge at Posey’s hearing ordered him to be held without bond, and no motive has been identified for his actions during the shooting at the grocery store.
The shooting has left the community in shock and mourning for the victims and their families. Parrish, representing Posey, stated that the family is deeply affected and saddened by the tragic events that unfolded. While Posey pleaded not guilty to the charges, further court appearances have not yet been scheduled. The incident marks a tragic event in a small town like Fordyce, where residents are grappling with the aftermath of the mass shooting. The attack has also brought national attention to the issue of gun violence in the United States, particularly in public spaces such as grocery stores.
The shooting at the Mad Butcher grocery store is part of a concerning trend of mass shootings in public spaces across the country. Similar incidents have occurred at other grocery stores, including a white supremacist attack that killed 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo in 2022. Another shooting resulted in the deaths of 10 people at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, just over a year before the incident in Fordyce. These tragic events highlight the need for increased gun control measures and mental health support in communities to prevent future acts of violence. As the legal proceedings for Posey continue, the focus remains on the victims and their families who are dealing with the aftermath of the senseless attack.
