Panicked shoppers hid in freezer and ran for cover amid shooting that killed 3, wounded 10 in Arkansas

Katrina Doherty, who was shopping for dinner with her 18-year-old daughter and four-year-old son, said she first thought she heard something fall, but then saw the glass shatter and someone fall to the ground. Then she realized that shots were being fired.

Outside, David Rodriguez was pulling into a gas station when he heard a pop that he initially thought was fireworks.

He then noticed that the grocery store’s front windows were broken — as if they had been “blown open” by gunfire, Rodriguez said.

Panicked shoppers then began to run as rapid shots were fired, Rodriguez said.

A man opened fire at the Mad Butcher in Fordyce, killing three people and injuring 10 others.

Law enforcement responded around 11:30 a.m. and exchanged gunfire with the “sole suspect,” according to Arkansas State Police.

Cell phone video captured a man in the parking lot taking aim with a long gun and firing in several directions.

Finding no way to escape, Doherty and the others in the store hastily hid in the freezer.

Dougherty’s daughter and son, who were on a different path, reunited with their mother in the back of the store and followed two workers into the freezer.

The 39-year-old mother said she heard nine or 10 gunshots before entering the ice shelter.

“We ran there very fast. We were still hearing gunshots,” Doherty said.

“It was like slow motion. My daughter was like, “Mom, pinch me, this can’t be real.” And I was like, “Honey, it’s real.”

Outside, Rodriguez hears sirens and watches as ambulances and police arrive at the scene.

Dougherty couldn’t hear what was happening outside, and when they tried to call 911, there was no service.

The group stayed inside, braving the freezing cold in “panic mode,” with some praying and others crying, she recalled.

Her son started crying, “but we finally calmed him down because I didn’t want the shooter to hear.”

“We just sat there and prayed. I was in panic mode. My son froze to death. We tried to get him to shut up, but he kept saying he wanted his father. It felt like we were there forever,” said Doherty.

“We were there maybe 15 minutes. I prayed that God would protect everyone. I was just praying. The other lady, she was praying. She was crying.”

At one point, one of the workers opened the freezer door and saw someone dead just outside, Doherty said.

The door remained closed until one of the store’s workers heard police outside and they were escorted out of the store, Doherty said.

After leaving the store, Dougherty was reunited with her 15-year-old twin daughters, who had been waiting outside in the car during the shooting and ducked when they heard the shots.

The country has seen a spate of shootings in the past few weeks, with 21 mass shootings recorded by the Gun Violence Archive since last Friday.

Gunfire has ripped through a spray booth in Michigan, a June 1 celebration in Texas and a car meet in Massachusetts, among other places.

They were among at least 234 mass shootings that occurred in the United States in 2024, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, which, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as a shooting in which four or more people are shot. except for the shooter.

The aftermath of the shooting

Matthew Gill, a meat manager at Mad Butcher, told CNN that a man entered the store with a rifle and engaged in a shootout with police.

Two policemen were injured in the shooting.

The suspected shooter, identified by authorities as 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey, was also wounded and taken into custody.

Posey, a New Edinburg resident, is expected to be charged with three counts of capital murder, with additional charges pending, according to a news release from Arkansas State Police.

He is scheduled to appear in court Monday, according to Dallas County District Attorney Eric Marks.

The injuries to the officers and the suspect are not considered life-threatening, according to Mike Hagar, secretary of public safety and director of the Arkansas State Police.

He noted that “the situation is secure … under control. There are no active threats to the community.”

“The remaining civilian injuries range from non-life threatening to extremely critical,” he said.

Posey was “treated for non-life threatening injuries following an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement, released into ASP custody and transported to the Ouachita County Detention Center,” the ASP release said.

It is unclear if Posey has retained legal counsel at this time.

Fordyce City Councilman Roderick Rogers told CNN affiliate KATV that he was on the phone with someone at the store when the shooting happened. “Man, it was bad,” Rodgers said.

The councilman said he spoke with survivors of the shooting who “are traumatized.”

“We’re trying to get some counseling and everything set up right now,” he added.