A horrific mass murder unfolded at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, Arkansas, on Friday, resulting in three fatalities and ten injuries, including two law enforcement officers. The tragedy struck around 11:30 a.m., sparking chaos and terror in the small town of approximately 3,200 residents, located 65 miles south of Little Rock.
Authorities responded swiftly, and the suspected shooter was shot by police, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries, according to Arkansas Department of Public Safety Director Mike Hagar. The wounded included two officers, whose injuries were not life-threatening, while other victims' conditions ranged from minor to extremely critical. Watch the press conference below, posted to X alongside alleged additional footage of the event:
Fordyce Arkansas Shooting UPDATE-
— MəanL¡LMə♡₩ (@MeanLILMeoW) June 21, 2024
Factual NEWS - 14 total shot 6/21/24
11 civilians ×3 civilians Died
2 Officers wounded (Not Critical)
1 suspect shooter (shot but Not Critical)
-Town Population est. 4 000 people pic.twitter.com/SSPBMkE3FS
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"It's tragic, our hearts are broken." Hagar expressed during a news conference. However, whether the incident occurred inside or outside the grocery store was not disclosed.
Disturbing videos shared on social media depicted a person lying in the parking lot and captured the sounds of multiple gunshots. Reporters' images revealed numerous bullet holes in the store's windows, while footage showed local and state agencies, including a medical helicopter, responding to the scene. See some of the harrowing posts, purportedly showing the violence:
#ARKANSAS : A mass #shooting has occurred outside at a Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce. Eight people have been shot and injured. Fatalities unknown. The shooter suspect has been contained, but the scene is still active. - Raws Alerts pic.twitter.com/q56Y7ieSmk
— Dragonfly (@DragonflyTimes) June 21, 2024
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🚔 Mass shooting - Mad Butcher grocery store
— Brendan (@BrendanMcInnis) June 21, 2024
Fordyce, Arkansas
3 dead (not identified)
8 injured
1 suspect (wounded, arrested, white male, no ID)
Shotgun was murder weapon
No apparent motive or targeting of victimspic.twitter.com/VSQEvDgEDw
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders acknowledged the swift response of law enforcement and first responders, stating on social media, "I am thankful for their quick and heroic action to save lives. My prayers are with the victims and all those impacted by this."
This tragic event is the latest in a series of mass murders at grocery stores, recalling the 2022 Buffalo supermarket shooting, where a white supremacist killed ten Black individuals, and the 2021 Boulder, Colorado, supermarket shooting, which left ten dead.
David Rodriguez, a local resident who allegedly recorded the above video, recounted hearing what he initially thought were fireworks as he filled his car at a nearby gas station. "We heard a few little pops," he said. He then witnessed people fleeing the Mad Butcher grocery store, with one person lying on the ground.
Rodriguez began recording the scene on his phone as the situation escalated. "The police started to show up, and then there was massive gunfire and ambulances pulling up," he described. "The bullets were just flying."
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And The 3 Letter Agencies Were On The Scene!!-Even B4 It Happened!
Guess @R.V.WINKEL just pulled that info out of his back side. The officers were so quick to get there because it is a very small town. It only has one grocery store. If you blink driving through the town of Fordyce you might miss it. I hate it when people make assumptions that start ugly and completely untrue rumors. Fordyce is full of good people but apparently had a bad apple. Prayers for all involved.