10 shot at Arkansas grocery store, 2 dead, police say

Summary:

• A mass shooting at a Fordyce grocery store has left a community in shambles after more than a dozen people were shot on Friday.

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What happened?
In total, 13 people were shot during the incident, including two local police officers and the suspect who opened fire. Here’s a breakdown of the shooting victims.

Three people were killed and eight other civilians were wounded when a shooter opened fire at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce around 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

Additionally, two law enforcement officers were injured in the incident and are expected to recover.

Authorities have not clarified if the shooting happened inside or outside the grocery store.

Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said the situation is “secure and contained,” as the shooter is in custody.

“It’s tragic [and] our hearts are broken,” Hagar said. “Our prayers, along with Gov. Sanders and the entire state of Arkansas, will be with this community and with those affected victims.”

Fordyce is a city of about 3,200 people located 65 miles (104 kilometers) south of Little Rock.

Videos posted on social media showed at least one person lying in the parking lot, while another captured multiple gunshots ringing out.

58-year-old David Rodriguez, who captured one of the viral social media videos, had stopped at a local gas station in Fordyce when he thought he heard fireworks from a nearby vendor.

“We heard a few little pops,” Rodriguez said.

He said people then started to run from the Mad Butcher grocery store into the parking lot, which is when he pulled out his phone and started recording.

“The police started to show up,” Rodriguez said. “Then there was massive gunfire and ambulances pulling up… the bullets were just flying.”

Our reporters went to the scene and reported seeing a slew of bullet holes in the grocery store’s window. One person even said they hid in a freezer to protect themselves.

It’s the latest mass shooting to happen at a grocery store since a white supremacist killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket in 2022. That shooting came a little more than a year after one at a Boulder, Colo., supermarket, where 10 people were also killed.

Who is the shooter?
Hagar said there was one shooter, and law enforcement responded immediately to the scene and “exchanged gunfire with the lone suspect.”

The shooter’s identity and motive are currently unknown. It is also unclear what gun was used in the incident.

Initial reports said the shooter was “critically injured,” but Hagar clarified that the injuries were non-life-threatening.

Arkansas State Police will serve as the primary investigating agency. Hagar said they’ve been in constant communication with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who has “committed any resources needed” to aid the investigation.

Sanders said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she’s been briefed on the situation and her “prayers are with the victims and those impacted.”

“I have been briefed on the tragic shooting in Fordyce, and I’m in constant contact with state police at the scene,” Sanders said. “I am thankful to law enforcement and first responders for their quick and heroic action to save lives. My prayers are with the victims and all those impacted by this horrific incident.”

The victims’ identities are currently unknown.

We will update this story with more information as it becomes available. The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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