Fordyce mass shooting suspect Travis Posey pleads not guilty in first court appearance

FORDYCE, Ark. – The man suspected in the deadly mass shooting at a Fordyce grocery store Friday pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance Tuesday.

Travis Eugene Posey entered pleas of not guilty in Ouachita County to four counts of capital murder and ten charges of attempted capital murder tied to the shooting at the Mad Butcher grocery store.

The hearing was held from the Ouachita County Detention Center, where the 44-year-old New Edinburg man has been held since being treated for injuries sustained while he exchanged gunfire with police Friday.

Judge Ryan Phillips said Tuesday’s first appearance by Posey was not an arraignment or a trial but instead a hearing to discuss probable cause, the defendant’s rights and bond.

Prosecutor Phillip Stone requested that Posey continue to be held without bond, which Phillips granted.

Among the people killed in the shooting were 23-year-old Callie Weems, 50-year-old Roy Sturgis, 52-year-old Shirley Taylor and 81-year-old Ellen Shrum.

There were eight other people injured by gunfire in the shooting, including two Fordyce police officers. An officer with the Stuttgart Police Department was also injured during the incident.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, but as of Sunday state police said the possible motive behind it remained unclear, with ASP Colonel Mike Hagar calling it “just a completely random senseless act.”

Posey is continuing to be held in Ouachita County, though it is expected that future proceedings in the case will be back in Dallas County.

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