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 around 11:30 a.m. CT at the Mad Butcher in Fordyce, a small town about 70 miles south of Little Rock.
Eleven people were injured, including the three who died, Arkansas State Police said at a news conference Friday afternoon. Two officers were also injured, but did not have life-threatening injuries.
The gunman was seriously injured by police with non-life-threatening injuries and taken into custody, police said.
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.”
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 TODAY.com
