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Arkansas grocery store shoppers hid in freezers during gunman’s rampage as fourth victim ID’d as 81-year-old

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Arkansas grocery store shoppers hid in freezers during gunman’s rampage as fourth victim ID’d as 81-year-old


Petrified Arkansas grocery store shoppers hid inside freezers as a madman went on a shooting rampage, killing four, including an 81-year-old who succumbed to her injuries on Saturday.

Shoppers at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, Ark. recalled hearing “pops” just before 11:30 a.m. on Friday believing something either fell or someone was setting off fireworks, according to CNN.

Katrina Doherty had been shopping for dinner with her daughter, 18, and son, 4, when suspected gunman Travis Eugene Posey opened fire at the store.

Shoppers at the Meat Butcher in Fordyce, Arkansas took cover from the mass shooting by hiding inside a freezer on Friday. Google Maps

The 39-year-old mother was in a separate aisle from her children at the time but reunited with them as they raced alongside other shoppers to find shelter in the back of the store where two employees ushered them inside a freezer.

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“We ran in there really fast. We still heard gunshots keep going off,” Katrina Doherty told the outlet. “It was like slow motion. My daughter was like ‘Mama, pinch me, this can’t be real.’ And I was like, ‘Baby, it’s real.’”

Doherty recalled hearing nine to ten rounds go off before finding shelter in the cold storage unit, where the group huddled in “panic mode,” bracing cold conditions, not knowing what was happening outside.

“We were just sitting there and praying,” she said. “I was in panic mode. My son about froze to death. We tried to get him quiet, but he was saying he wanted his daddy. It felt like we were in there forever,”

Doherty and the rest of the shoppers remained inside the freezer for roughly 15 minutes until police came and escorted them out.

She was then reunited with her 15-year-old twin daughters, who were waiting in the car outside, and ducked down when the gunfire rang out.

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Suspected gunman Travis Eugene Posey is expecting to be charged with four counts of capital murder as other charges are still pending. Ouachita County Sheriff’s Office

In the parking lot, Posey, armed with a long gun, allegedly fired in multiple directions, striking multiple people before police officers arrived.

Posey, 44, was shot after he exchanged gunfire with police.

He will be charged with four counts of capital murder, with additional charges still pending, the Arkansas State Police announced.

The “lone gunman” is accused of killing four people, and injuring 9 others including two police officers. AP
A front window is seen with bullet holes as law enforcement officers work the scene following the shooting on June 21 in Arkansas. AP

Posey was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, and released to the Arkansas State Police is being held at the Ouachita County Detention Center.

He is expected to appear in court on Monday.

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Shirley Taylor, 62, Callie Weems, 23, and Roy Sturgis, 50, were all identified as the civilians killed in the shooting on Friday.

Ellen Shrum, 81, died on Saturday evening.

Weems, a nurse at Dallas County Medical Center and mother of a 10-month-old daughter was grocery shopping when she was struck by gunfire.

“I checked Callie’s location because good ol’ Live 360 and it showed she was at the hospital,” Helen Browning told Fox 16. “I’m thinking, ‘She’s at work. She came in to help,’ There was… she was in town…”

Browning rushed down to the grocery store to learn the heartbreaking news when she didn’t hear back from her daughter.

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Callie Weems, a 23-year-old nurse and mother of a 10-month-old daughter, was killed in the shooting on Friday. Facebook

“My best friend was standing right there and I said, ‘Kristie, tell me my baby’s ok.’ and she said, ‘I can’t,’ And that’s when I just broke,” Browning recalled.

“I just want to know why Joey Posey woke up this morning and decided he needed to go ruin families lives,”  the heartbroken mother said.

Browning revealed her family lost another member in the shooting along with Callie.

Roy Sturgis, 50, was identified as one of the four killed in Friday’s shooting. Benton Funeral Home

“Our niece’s dad was in there also and he’s no longer with us,” Browning said. “So that’s a double whammy to our family.”

Roy Sturgis was remembered by his family in an online obituary, and is survived by his “pride and joy, his daughter.”

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Shirley Taylor’s daughter called her mother “such a GREAT woman” that “didn’t deserve this.”

Shirley Taylor was remembered by her daughter as”such a GREAT woman” that “didn’t deserve this.” Angela Atchley/Facebook
Two police officers were injured during a gunfight with the suspected shooter but were both treated and released. AP

The shooting left nine others injured, with ages ranging from 20 to 65, the ASP said.

“Four of those individuals remain hospitalized, including a woman who is in critical condition at UAMS in Little Rock.”

Three of the injured civilians have already been released from the Dallas County Medical Center.

Two officers, James Johnson with the Fordyce Police Department and John Hudson with the Stuttgart Police Department were also wounded during the shooting.

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Johnson, 31, was treated and released for a gunshot wound, as Hudson, 24, received “minor injuries.”



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Arkansas to honor Nolan Richardson with statue outside arena

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Arkansas to honor Nolan Richardson with statue outside arena


Former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson, who led the Razorbacks to the 1994 national title, will be immortalized with a statue outside Bud Walton Arena, the school said Wednesday.

Richardson was on the court at halftime of No. 20 Arkansas’ 105-85 win over Texas in the team’s regular-season home finale Wednesday night when athletic director Hunter Yurachek surprised him and told him the school had commissioned a statue to commemorate his achievements.

Per the school’s announcement, work on the statue is set to begin soon.

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“Coach Richardson’s impact on the game of basketball and our state is immeasurable,” Yurachek said in a statement. “He represented Arkansas with a toughness and intense work ethic that endeared him to our fans while changing the lives of numerous athletes, coaches and staff under his direction. His ’40 minutes of Hell’ changed college basketball and led to the 1994 national championship that changed Arkansas and our university forever. Coach Richardson will stand tall outside the arena for the rest of time.”

Richardson coined the phrase “40 Minutes of Hell” in reference to the ferocious, full-court defense his Arkansas teams played during his tenure (1985-2002). Between Arkansas and his first Division I job at Tulsa, Richardson amassed 508 wins (389 with the Razorbacks), reached the Final Four three times and secured Arkansas’ only national title.

Richardson also was a member of the Texas Western (now UTEP) teams that preceded the school’s victory over Kentucky in 1966, when five Black players started an NCAA championship game for the first time and won. That game paved the way for Black players to compete at schools that had previously rejected them.

Richardson, one of six SEC coaches to win a national title since 1990, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.

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After Wednesday’s game, current Arkansas coach John Calipari joked that he’s contractually obligated to clean the statue once it’s finished.

“Which I will do in a pleasant way because I love it,” he said. “He’s been so good to me since I’ve been here.”

Richardson and Arkansas were not on good terms when they divorced in 2002. But the two sides have repaired the relationship over the years. The university renamed the floor at Bud Walton Arena “Nolan Richardson Court” in 2019. Richardson praised Calipari’s hiring in 2024 after he left Kentucky, and he has been around the program since Calipari’s arrival.

“He should have been had a statue, I think,” said Trevon Brazile, who finished with 28 points on his senior night Wednesday. “They won the national championship.”

Added Darius Acuff Jr., who finished with 28 points and 13 assists against the Longhorns: “It’s great to see that for sure. Coach Richardson is a big part of our team. He’s been to a couple of our practices, so it’s always good to see [him]. He’s a legend.”

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Autopsies rule Arkansas mothers death a suicide; twin children’s deaths homicides

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Autopsies rule Arkansas mothers death a suicide; twin children’s deaths homicides


According to our partners at 40/29 News, autopsies show that Charity Beallis died by suicide, and her six-year-old twin children died by homicide.

Beallis and the children were found on December 3, 2025, in their home in Bonanza. All three had gunshot wounds.

Records show that Beallis and her husband were in the process of divorcing when the murders happened. 40/29 reports that Beallis’ son has asked that their divorce be considered final, while her husband, Randall Beallis, has asked the court to dismiss the divorce proceedings.

The news release listed the following evidence:

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— An examination of the transcripts of the deposition of Mrs. Beallis in the divorce/custody case and the final hearing on the case on 12-2-2025, reveal that she wished to be reconciled to her estranged husband, which did not happen. Mrs. Beallis, after being represented by four different attorneys, represented herself in the contested divorce/custody hearing. At the conclusion of the hearing, Mrs. Beallis was ordered to begin joint custody of her children with her estranged husband.

–Mrs. Beallis’ estranged husband was a driver of a Tesla electric vehicle at that time. Tesla has compiled location data on Tesla vehicles, and according to the information provided by Tesla, Mrs. Beallis’ estranged husband’s vehicle was not near the residence in Bonanza on the night in question. Also, the estranged husband’s phones did not “ping” any of the cell towers proximately related to Ms. Beallis’ location.

–Information from the home security alarm company shows the alarm was deactivated by Mrs. Beallis by her phone (she had exclusive access to the security system) at around 10 pm on the night in question. Even though deactivated, the alarm company was able to provide information showing no doors or windows to the home were opened during that time. When law enforcement arrived after 9:30 am on 12-3-2025, there were no doors or windows open, and they had to use a key to enter the home. SCSO rigorously tested the functioning of each door and window and found them to be operating properly.

The court released an order on Wednesday stating that it does not have jurisdiction to rule on those motions regarding the divorce. Beallis’ body has been released to her son, while the children are with Randall Beallis.



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Frightening times for Hannahs in Israel | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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Frightening times for Hannahs in Israel | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette


Wally Hall

[email protected]

Wally Hall is assistant managing sports editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. A graduate of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock after an honorable discharge from the U.S. Air Force, he is a member and past president of the Football Writers Association of America, member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, past president and current executive committee and board member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, and voter for the Heisman Trophy. He has been awarded Arkansas Sportswriter of the Year 10 times and has been inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and Arkansas Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame.

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