Mother of 10-month-old girl among victims of Arkansas grocery store shooting

A 23-year-old nurse and mother of a 10-month-old girl is among three people killed in a shooting at an Arkansas grocery store on Friday.

Callie Weems, who worked at the Dallas County Medical Center, was shopping at Mad Butcher in Fordyce when she was shot, NBC affiliate KARK-TV in Little Rock reported.

Her mother, Helen Browning, told the news station that after learning of the shooting, she checked her daughter’s whereabouts and found that Weems was at the medical center. Browning initially thought her daughter had gone to work.

“I thought, ‘She’s at work. She’s come to help,'” she said.

When Browning reached the grocery store, she was told what had happened.

“My best friend was standing right next to me and I said, ‘Kristie, tell me my baby is OK.’ And she said, ‘I can’t do that,'” Browning told KARK-TV. “And that’s when I just broke down.”

Browning must now grapple with how to raise her granddaughter, Ivy, who she said was Weems’ “save the world.”

“And now it’s mine too,” said Browning.

The motive for Friday morning’s shooting, which apparently began in the parking lot, remains unclear. Law enforcement officials briefed on the shooting told NBC News on Saturday that there was no evidence of any kind of extremism as a possible motive.

Travis Eugene Posey, 44, of New Edinburg, a community about 11 miles east of Fordyce, was arrested in connection with the shooting and booked into the Ouachita County Detention Center. He was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries Friday morning after exchanging gunfire with police officers.

Posey is charged with three counts of capital crimes, with additional charges pending, the Arkansas Department of Public Safety said in a press release.

A video verified by NBC News but not revealing what happened beforehand shows a man in a parking lot firing a long gun. Some shots appeared to be aimed at vehicles.

Eleven people were shot, including the three dead. The identities of the other two victims killed have not been released. Two officers were also injured, although their injuries are not life-threatening.

Sisters Amiya and Ashiya Doherty were sitting in the back seat of the family SUV when shots were fired.

“He shot at my mother’s car and hit the tire and pssst” Amiya said, mimicking the sound of air escaping.

Ashiya, who was also unharmed, said: “It was like a movie.”

Amiya said she grabbed her sister and pulled her to the ground to avoid being hit as the windows of the surrounding cars shattered. Her SUV only suffered punctured tires.

Matt Gill, a butcher, was in the back of the store when he heard gunshots and shattering glass.

“He came in and started shooting,” he said. “We made it out the back door. I had to get out of there, I have a wife and kids at home.”

Roderick Rogers, a Fordyce native and pastor of Grace United Church, recalled seeing “people just lying in the parking lot.”

“There was shooting everywhere,” he said.

The grocer said in a statement on Saturday that it was “shocked and deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence.”

“Our deepest condolences go out to the victims, their families and all those affected,” the store posted on Facebook. “We are truly grateful to our local law enforcement and first responders who arrived on scene to secure the area and arrest the suspect. Their quick and brave actions helped prevent further harm. We cannot thank them enough for their dedication and service.”

The store will remain closed during the investigation, Mad Butcher said, and employees will continue to be paid.

Fordyce is a small town about 70 miles south of Little Rock. The attack followed a mass shooting in Oakland, California, that left 15 people injured during Juneteenth events on Wednesday. On the same day, seven people were injured in a shooting in Philadelphia, authorities said.