Arkansas

Arkansas grocery store shooting was 'completely random,' police say

Published

2 years ago

June 23, 2024

Arkansas grocery store shooting was 'completely random,' police say

The shooting at an Arkansas grocery store on Friday was “a completely random, senseless act,” Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said in a press conference Sunday.

Police have not determined a motive for the attack at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce that killed four people and wounded 10 others, Hagar said, noting that they have found no connection between the suspect and any of the victims or the store.

The four people killed were identified as 23-year-old Callie Weems, 50-year-old Roy Sturgis, 62-year-old Shirley Taylor and 81-year-old Ellen Shrum.

The suspect, identified as 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey, was shot by officers at the scene and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Law enforcement officials are on the scene of a shooting in Fordyce, Arkansas, on June 21, 2024.

KATV

Posey is believed to have opened fire in the parking lot “immediately” upon exiting his vehicle, then entered the store where he continued his rampage.

“He simply started engaging victims indiscriminately, just as targets of opportunity,” Hagar said.

Hagar said the suspect had “very limited” previous criminal history, or possibly none at all.

Posey faces three capital murder charges and is currently being held at Ouachita County Detention Center, according to Hagar.

He could face the death penalty, Hagar said.

One of the victims, Weems, a nurse, died while attempting to treat another victim, Hagar said.

“During the incident, we observed the very best and the very worst of humanity,” he said. “As an example, instead of fleeing from the obvious danger, Callie Weems began using her training as a nurse to render aid to a gunshot victim and, unfortunately, became a victim herself as a result of her selfless actions.”

Hagar thanked the police officers who responded to the incident, who he said neutralized the suspect within five minutes of the shooting beginning.

“These officers literally and intentionally put themselves between the suspect and defenseless citizens,” he said. “Their actions were nothing short of heroic.”

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Arkansas

Arkansas Governor joins national A.I. workforce initiative

Published

56 minutes ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas Governor joins national A.I. workforce initiative

LITTLE ROCK, AR (KATV) — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has joined a new national artificial intelligence initiative that launched Thursday, June 25.

RAISE US, started by former Governor Eric Holcomb of Indiana and Gina Raimondo, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce is a nonpartisan national organization that will partner with governors, employers, workers and training organizations to help the workforce transition to an AI economy.

“As artificial intelligence transforms America’s economy, we have one clear message: technology should empower people, not replace them. By leveraging our Arkansas LAUNCH initiative, and with the resources and expertise provided by RAISE US, Arkansas will turn that mission into reality. We want the Natural State to be a leader on education, workforce training, and up-skilling, and this new partnership gives us the tools we need to build a model for the entire nation.”

The organization will design and pilot incentives to retrain workers, new approaches to support job transitions, and training models tied to employer demand.

RAISE US launches with more than two dozen American companies and philanthropies and initial state partnerships in Connecticut, Maryland and Utah.

“America has a technology strategy for leading the global AI competition. It does not yet have a people strategy — and we cannot lead without one,” Raimondo, who will serve as CEO of RAISE US, said.

“If we build the best AI systems in the world and leave millions of Americans behind, we won’t have won anything; we’ll have automated our own decline. I believe AI will create new jobs and industries over time, but the transition could be disruptive, and it’s already underway. We shouldn’t fearmonger, but we can’t pretend our training and worker support systems are ready either. It’s time for innovative and practical solutions. This moment demands ambition, urgency, and creativity. We’ve assembled the country’s top companies, best economists, and bipartisan governors at a scale rarely seen — all to advance new ideas and incentives, pilot them with governors and business, and scale what works.”

Governor Sanders is partnering with RAISE US to support Arkansas LAUNCH, an AI-powered career navigation platform that connects students and jobseekers to personalized learning and employer-linked career pathways.

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