Grocery store shooting leaves 2 dead, 8 injured in south Arkansas

Two people were killed and eight wounded in a shooting Friday at a grocery store in southern Arkansas, police said.

Arkansas State Police said the shooting occurred at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce and that the shooter was seriously injured after being shot by police. A law enforcement officer was among those wounded by gunshots, but did not have life-threatening injuries.

Fordyce is a city of about 3,200 people located 65 miles (104 kilometers) south of Little Rock. A video posted on social media showed at least one person lying in the parking lot, and in another video several gunshots were heard.

Footage from television reporters showed several local and state agencies responding to the scene and at least one medical helicopter landing nearby.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she had been informed about the shooting.

“I am grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their quick and heroic action to save lives,” Sanders posted on social media site X. “My prayers are with the victims and everyone impacted by this.”

David Rodriguez, 58, had stopped at his local Fordyce gas station to refuel his car when he heard what he thought were fireworks coming from a nearby vendor stand.

“We heard some little pops,” he said.

Then he saw people running from the Mad Butcher grocery store to the parking lot, and a person lying on the ground. She began recording video with her phone before the shooting escalated.

“The police started showing up, and then there was a mass shooting and ambulances arriving,” he said. “The bullets were flying.”

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