Travis Eugene Posey

Travis Eugene “Joey” Posey was a lifelong resident of southern Arkansas, originating from New Edinburg, a small rural community near Fordyce. He attended the University of Arkansas at Monticello in the late 1990s but did not complete a degree. As an adult, Posey operated a landscaping business in Kingsland beginning in 2010 and also worked intermittently in the trucking industry. To acquaintances, he appeared outwardly functional and self-employed, with no known history of violent crimes in Arkansas prior to 2024.

Posey did, however, have a prior weapons-related encounter with law enforcement. In November 2011, while working as a truck driver, he was arrested by New York State Police near Watertown after attempting to bring an unregistered firearm onto Fort Drum. He later pleaded guilty to a reduced disorderly conduct charge and paid a fine. The weapon was confiscated. Despite this incident, Posey returned to Arkansas and continued operating his businesses without further documented criminal convictions.

At approximately 11:38 a.m. on June 21, 2024, Travis Posey arrived in the parking lot of the Mad Butcher supermarket in Fordyce, located near U.S. Route 79. Wearing a bandolier and armed with a Mossberg 12‑gauge shotgun and a 9mm pistol, Posey exited his pickup truck and began firing almost immediately. The first victim, Roy Sturgis, was shot while exiting the store after purchasing groceries. Though gravely wounded, Sturgis managed to drive himself to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Posey then fired through the front windows and entrance of the supermarket, striking two employees in the checkout area, before entering the building. Inside, he shot a man who attempted to intervene, striking him in the head and upper body. That victim survived. Posey proceeded toward the rear of the store, where he fatally shot 63‑year‑old Shirley Kay Taylor. As he moved back toward the front, he encountered Callie Weems, a 23‑year‑old nurse who was rendering aid to the wounded. Posey shot and killed her at close range before exiting the store.

Law enforcement officers from the Fordyce Police Department and Dallas County Sheriff’s Office arrived within minutes. Posey engaged officers in a gunfight in the parking lot, shooting and injuring multiple officers. During this exchange, Posey opened fire indiscriminately, killing 81‑year‑old Ellen Shrum as she loaded groceries into her vehicle and wounding several bystanders in nearby cars. Posey fired a total of 37 shotgun rounds during the attack and never discharged his pistol. Officers ultimately shot and critically wounded Posey, ending the incident in under five minutes.

Posey was taken into custody alive with non‑life‑threatening injuries. While being arrested, he repeatedly uttered the word “trust” and referenced only “God” when questioned. Four victims were killed and eleven others were wounded, making the attack the deadliest active shooter incident in the United States in 2024 at the time.

Posey was charged with four counts of capital murder and multiple counts of attempted murder. Initially pleading not guilty, he later entered a full guilty plea in July 2025, eliminating the need for a trial. He was sentenced the following month to four consecutive life sentences without parole plus 220 additional years. Civil litigation followed, with victims securing a multimillion‑dollar judgment against him.

The shooting deeply affected the Fordyce community, which relied on the Mad Butcher as its only grocery store. Vigils were held, emergency food distribution centers were established, and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders ordered flags lowered to half‑staff.