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.

On 21 June 2024, a mass shooting occurred at the Mad Butcher supermarket in Fordyce, Arkansas. At approximately 11:38 a.m. CDT, emergency services received multiple reports of an active shooter at the location. The incident resulted in four fatalities and eleven people injured, making it the deadliest active shooter incident in the United States that year by number of casualties.

The shooter, identified as 44‑year‑old Travis Eugene Posey, arrived at the supermarket parking lot in a pickup truck. Armed with a Mossberg 12‑gauge shotgun and a 9mm semi‑automatic pistol, and wearing a bandolier, Posey began firing shortly after exiting his vehicle. The shooting started in the parking lot near U.S. Route 79.

The first victim, Roy Sturgis, was shot as he exited the store after purchasing groceries. Despite being mortally wounded, Sturgis managed to drive himself to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Posey then fired into the front of the store, shooting through the entrance and windows and injuring two employees working in the checkout area.

Posey entered the supermarket and shot a man who attempted to intervene after witnessing the parking lot shooting. The man was struck in the head and upper body but survived. Posey continued through the store, fatally shooting Shirley Kay Taylor near the rear of the building. As he moved back toward the entrance, Posey encountered Callie Weems, a 23‑year‑old nurse who was rendering aid to an injured victim. She was shot and killed at the scene.

After exiting the store, Posey engaged in a gunfight with responding law enforcement officers from the Fordyce Police Department and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office. During the exchange, Posey shot and injured two officers. He also fatally shot 81‑year‑old Ellen Shrum in the parking lot as she was loading groceries into her vehicle. Posey continued firing at parked and moving vehicles, wounding several additional victims.

In total, Posey fired 37 shotgun rounds during the incident and did not discharge his handgun. Officers returned fire, critically injuring Posey. He was taken into custody within approximately five minutes of the first emergency call. While being arrested, Posey repeatedly spoke the word “trust” and referenced God when questioned about whether additional suspects were involved.

Posey was charged with four counts of capital murder and ten counts of attempted murder. He entered an initial plea of not guilty on 25 June 2024. A trial was scheduled for February 2025 but did not occur. On 21 July 2025, Posey pleaded guilty to all four counts of capital murder and eleven counts of attempted capital murder.

On 4 August 2025, Posey was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 220 years in prison. He was transferred the same day to the Varner Supermax Unit, where he remains incarcerated.

In a related civil case, victims of the shooting pursued legal action against Posey. In October 2025, a state court awarded a civil judgment of $3.7 million in damages to plaintiffs injured during the attack.