Suspect in Arkansas mass shooting that killed 4 pleads not guilty

A man suspected in a mass shooting at a Fordyce, Arkansas, grocery store that left four people dead and 10 other victims wounded has pleaded not guilty.

Travis Eugene Posey, 44, of New Edinburg, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to four counts of capital murder and 10 counts of attempted capital murder from the Ouachita County Detention Center.

Posey invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent during the hearing, according to KATV.

The accused gunman allegedly entered the Mad Butcher parking lot in his truck on Friday around 11:38 a.m. local time, with a pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun and extra ammunition, according to Arkansas State Police. The suspect began firing in the parking lot before heading inside the store and shooting at customers and employees.

When police arrived minutes later, the suspect engaged them in a firefight and was wounded. Posey was treated and released from the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries before his arrest.

Another 14 people — including two police officers — were wounded by the shooter at the scene, four fatally.

Three of the deceased were earlier identified as Shirley Taylor, 62; Roy Sturgis, 50; and Callie Weems, 23, who had recently become a mom.

A fourth victim, 81-year-old Ellen Shrum, succumbed to her injuries on Sunday, the same day police said Weems, a nurse, died while rendering aid to another gunshot victim.

Police said the motive for the shooting remains unknown and that Posey has no personal connection to the victims despite the community being tight-knit. Fordyce is about 11 miles west of his hometown of New Edinburg.

He also had no known dispute with the grocery store.

If convicted, Posey could face the death penalty.

Fordyce has a population around 3,300 people and is about 70 miles south of Little Rock.

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