A fourth victim in the Friday shooting in Fordyce has died.
The Arkansas State Police reported late Saturday night that Ellen Shrum, 81, died as a result of a lone gunman’s shooting rampage at the Mad Butcher grocery store. The three who were killed Friday were identified as Shirley Taylor, 62, Callie Weems, 23, and Roy Sturgis, 50. Nine other people were injured in the shooting. Four are still hospitalized with one in critical condition at UAMS in Little Rock, according to police.
The man allegedly responsible for the shootings, 44-year-old Travis Eugene “Joey” Posey, was injured by return gunfire from police but was not seriously wounded. He is in custody at the Ouachita County Detention Center in connection with a charge of three counts of capital murder.
The small, close-knit community of Fordyce is still reeling in the aftermath of Friday’s shooting that also wounded two law enforcement officers but not seriously.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
One major concern is the mental health of citizens and first responders in the wake of the incident. The Dallas County Medical Center opened a mental health counseling center in their Stepping Stones building immediately adjacent to the county hospital on Clifton Street. The hours of operation are 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday. Health care professionals and pastors are on site to assist those in need. Fordyce First Assembly of God sanctuary is also open for anyone wishing to join the prayer vigil.
“Our team is devastated today as we mourn the loss of one of our dear employees in this senseless event,” said Dallas County Medical Center CEO David Mantz in a statement released Saturday morning. “This small town stepped up to take care of our own and it was a major challenge. We typically see around 300 patients per month in our ER. Friday morning, we had 13 gunshot victims roll in our doors in about half an hour.
“The clinical team and support staff were absolutely amazing. They managed the situation like they did this every day. We have some truly remarkable people on our team. These situations are true examples of the need for continued support for our small rural hospitals. If Fordyce did not have a hospital with excellent staff, the day would have been much worse. Our prayers are with the victims and families, we are truly sorry this tragedy happened.”
Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Linsey Walley described her Friday afternoon, which quickly went from calm to frantic.
“When it happened, I was out on my bike about two miles from home on Highway 8 when a state trooper flew past me,” she said. “Then my phone began to blow up. I went to the ER, as did many medically trained people from the area. There were two physicians, three nurse practitioners, many nurses, X-ray techs, lab techs and respiratory therapists. Some were (medical center) employees, but lots just came to help.
“Our four-room ER took care of 13 trauma patients who arrived over a period of about 30 minutes yesterday. These were all people we know and love. Some of them died. Some of them were stabilized and flown out in critical but stable condition. Some had serious injuries that were not life-threatening. Our medical community came together in a beautiful way. Our hospital administrator (David Mantz) helped coordinate transfer, and EMS was amazing and efficient (at) getting people transferred once they were stable. We will continue to take care of each other and these patients in the days, months and in some cases years to come,” Walley said.
In a Facebook post, Hanna Sturgis, daughter of deceased shooting victim Roy Sturgis, wrote “I’ve heard a few stories about how my daddy was so close to leaving the parking lot and turned around to help save others! That’s just who he was and I’m so proud to call him daddy.”
Reports indicate that after leaving the store, Sturgis returned to help and while leaning over a wounded Callie Weems to protect her from further gunfire, he was shot in the process. Once the shooting ceased, he managed to drive himself four blocks to the hospital where he succumbed to his fatal injury.
A partial list of those wounded in the melee include Thomas Earl Brazil and his wife Sherry, who were shot in their vehicle; Latosha Allen, who received a wound to the stomach; and Brittney Sullivent, who was shot in the head while driving into the parking lot.
“Brittney had a good night last night and rested,” Sullivent’s husband Jeremy posted on Facebook. “She has been awake this morning and writing on paper to communicate things. She’s very responsive and wanting her vent tubes out. She has made a lot of progress since yesterday. Thank everyone for all the prayers and phone calls.”
Shrum, who died Saturday after being in critical condition, was said to have been shot in the face while loading groceries in her car.
Police response proved remarkable, with the 911 call coming in at 11:38 a.m. and the shooter neutralized by 11:44 a.m., according to official sources.
Witnesses reported a scene of complete mayhem in the Mad Butcher parking lot where the shooting took place. Onlookers said Posey was carrying a shotgun in his hands with an AR style weapon strapped across his chest. They further described how one officer lay prone on Fourth Street with a long-rifle, firing beneath vehicles at the shooter’s feet as the assailant crouched behind two trucks for cover. Another officer managed to flank the suspect and began shooting at him with his 9mm pistol, apparently striking Posey with enough force to send him to the pavement.
Both officers injured in the encounter are in good condition. One was treated and immediately released with minor lacerations while the second was in good spirits at UAMS in Little Rock and is expected to make a full recovery.
Two other witnesses, Amy Smith and Wanda Dunn, both of whom work at the Hurry Back convenience store across the parking lot from the grocery store, said when they first heard all the shooting they thought the neighboring fireworks stand had caught on fire. Signs of the shootout can be seen in buildings surrounding the busy business center as evidenced by holes in the post office window and the bullet-pocked brickwork.
Another of the many issues to be dealt with for Fordyce is going without a grocery outlet for the time being. The nearest full service food market is over 20 miles away. Churches are now stepping up to fill that void.
“After assessing the situation, we’ll be doing a mass food collection drive at the Melvin Collins Sports annex building Sunday,” said Fordyce City Alderman and Grace Church Little Rock pastor Roderick Rogers. “The main reasons are people remain scared to get out at the moment and we have no grocery store to go to. Other folks say they are not going back to work for a while because they’re frightened (that) something like this could happen again. We know the people are going through a tough time. Once the food is collected, we’ll schedule a giveaway and set up home deliveries for those without transportation.”
The city of Fordyce placed a memorial wreath at the entrance to the crime scene on Saturday.
The city of Fordyce and Mayor John MacNichol placed a memorial wreath at the parking lot entrance where the Friday tragedy occurred. Ten people were shot and three died. (Special to The Commercial/Richard Ledbetter)
Lee Ernest Cornett is seen with his pickup truck that received some 33 bullet holes and had two windows shot out during the shooting in Fordyce where a gunman shot 13 people, killing three. Cornett was in the neighboring Dollar General store at the time. (Special to The Commercial/Richard Ledbetter)
Early Saturday morning the Fordyce Fire Department was in the parking lot of the Mad Butcher washing down remnants of the shootout which left three people dead and 10 shot. (Special to The Commercial/Richard Ledbetter)