Arkansas man pleads guilty in 2024 mass shooting at grocery store that killed 4

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas antheral changed his plea to blameworthy Monday successful the shooting astatine a market store past twelvemonth that killed 4 radical and injured 11 others, including 2 constabulary officers.

Travis Eugene Posey, 45, pleaded blameworthy to 4 counts of superior execution and 11 counts of attempted superior execution successful the June 2024 shooting, according to his attorney. Gregg Parrish, enforcement manager of the Arkansas Public Defender Commission, said Posey's sentencing is acceptable for Aug. 4.

Parrish declined to remark further. The shooting occurred past twelvemonth astatine the Mad Butcher market store successful Fordyce, a metropolis of astir 3,200 radical located 65 miles (104 kilometers) southbound of Little Rock.

Posey has been held without enslaved since the shooting and past twelvemonth pleaded not guilty to the aforesaid charges.

Posey entered the plea during a proceeding successful Camden, which is located 29 miles (45 kilometers) southwest of Fordyce.

Posey had been scheduled to spell to proceedings adjacent period for the shooting. Prosecutors and constabulary person not publically identified immoderate motive for Posey, who was changeable and injured by officers who exchanged occurrence with him. Police person said helium did not look to person a idiosyncratic transportation to immoderate of the victims.

During the shooting, which occurred successful the mediate of the day, Posey carried a 12-gauge shotgun, a pistol and a bandolier with dozens of other shotgun rounds, authorities said. He fired most, if not all, of the rounds utilizing the shotgun, opening occurrence astatine radical successful the parking batch earlier entering the store and firing “indiscriminately” astatine customers and employees, constabulary said. Multiple gunshot victims were recovered wrong the store and successful the parking lot, constabulary said.

Posey lived successful New Edinburg, a tiny municipality of astir 150 radical located southeast of Fordyce.

One of the women injured successful the shooting has sued Posey, seeking monetary damages to screen aesculapian care, mislaid net and different expenses arsenic a effect of the shooting. Attorneys for the pistillate person requested that a justice participate a default judgement against Posey, arsenic helium has not responded to the complaint.

The shooting had temporarily closed the only market store successful the tiny municipality of Fordyce, prompting nutrient organisation sites to beryllium acceptable up astir the community. The Mad Butcher reopened 11 days aft the shooting.

Authorities person said Posey had constricted to nary transgression past earlier the shooting, though helium was arrested successful 2011 astatine the entranceway of Fort Drum successful New York and charged with misdemeanor transgression possession of a weapon.

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This communicative has been updated to close the spelling of Posey’s attorney’s past name. It should beryllium Parrish, not Parish.