Suspect identified after shooting at Arkansas grocery store that left three people dead

The man accused of opening fire at a southern Arkansas grocery store, fatally shooting three people and wounding 11 others, has been identified.

Travis Eugene Posey, a 44-year-old from New Edinburg, is charged with three counts of capital murder in connection with Friday’s shooting at the Mad Butcher, according to an Arkansas State Police news release. Authorities also said additional charges are pending.

The shooting broke out shortly before 11:40 a.m. local time at the store in Fordyce, a small town about 70 miles south of Little Rock, State Police Director Mike Hagar said during a press conference.

Video from the scene confirmed by NBC News shows a man firing a long gun in the parking lot outside the store, with some of the shots apparently aimed at vehicles.

“Unfortunately, we can confirm that 11 innocent civilians were shot and three of them are dead,” Hagar told reporters.

Two police officers also suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a shootout with the suspect. The condition of the other victims ranged from “non-life-threatening to extremely critical,” Hagar said.

“The suspect was also shot and taken into custody,” he added.

Posey was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and then admitted to the Ouachita County Detention Center Friday evening.

None of the victims have been identified and few other details have been released.

Hagar told reporters it was too early in the investigation to determine Posey’s motive. What exactly happened in the moments before the shooting was also unclear.

After the shooting, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders praised police officers for their quick response and called them heroes.

“I am grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their quick and heroic actions in saving lives,” she said on X. “My prayers are with the victims and all those affected by this horrific incident.”

The deadly violence in Arkansas came shortly after a mass shooting in Oakland, California, where 15 people were injured during a Juneteenth rally near Lake Merritt. Another seven people were shot in a separate incident in Philadelphia on Wednesday.