A gunman opened fire at an Arkansas supermarket on Friday, killing at least three people and wounding several others, authorities said.
The fatal incident occurred just before 11:40 a.m. CT at the Mad Butcher in Fordyce, a small town about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Little Rock, State Police Director Mike Hagar said at a late afternoon news conference.
Eleven people were injured, including the three who died, the Arkansas State Police leader said. Two officers were also injured, but did not have life-threatening injuries.
Some of the eight surviving civilians were in “extremely critical” condition, Hagar said.
The gunman, who was treated in custody for non-life-threatening injuries after exchanging gunfire with officers, was identified Friday evening as Travis Eugene Posey, 44, of New Edinburg, a community about 11 miles east of Fordyce.
“It’s tragic,” the state police director said, “our hearts are broken.”
Hagar, who is also state secretary for public security, said it was too early to determine what motivated the suspect. Arkansas State Police are leading the investigation, he added.
After his release from medical care, Posey was booked into the Ouachita County Detention Center Friday evening on a charge of first-degree murder, inmate records show.
State police said he will likely face three murder charges once charges are formally filed. It was said that further charges were also likely.
It was not clear whether he has retained counsel, and the public defender’s office for Dallas County, Arkansas, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meat cutter Matt Gill was standing in the back of the store when he heard gunshots and breaking glass.
“He came in and started shooting,” Gill said. “We came out the back door. I had to get out of there, I have a wife and children at home.
The shooting appeared to start in the parking lot as sisters Amiya and Ashiya Doherty sat in the back of the family SUV, where they said they were almost hit.
“He shot at my mother’s car and hit the tire and pssssstAmiya said, imitating the sound of escaping air.
Car windows all around were shot out, but the sisters’ SUV only suffered damage to the tires. Amiya said she grabbed her sister Ashiya and pulled her down to avoid being hit.
“It was like a movie,” said Ashiya, who was also unharmed.
The violence stunned Roderick Rogers, a Fordyce native and pastor of Grace United Church.
“I just saw people lying in the parking lot,” he said. “There were shots everywhere.”
A video verified by NBC News but not showing what happened before showed a man in a parking lot firing a long gun. Some of the bullets appeared to be aimed at vehicles and the weapons were then dropped as he reloaded.
“Look at him,” a woman is heard saying on the video, which appears to be recorded from the other side of U.S. Highway 79, the road in front of the store.
“They’re involved in the Mad Butcher shooting…” she said.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders praised authorities for their immediate response.
“I am grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their quick and heroic action to save lives,” she said in a statement.
Fordyce is a city of 3,396 residents with a median household income of $35,116, which is less than half the national median of $74,580, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
The attack in Arkansas follows a mass shooting in Oakland, California on Wednesday that injured 15 people during Juneteenth events near Lake Merritt, officials said.
Also Wednesday, seven people were injured after a shooting in Philadelphia, officials said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
