America's never-ending plague continues with new mass shooting in Arkansas
Mass shooting at Fordyce grocery store leaves three people dead and 10 wounded, Arkansas authorities say, as gun violence continues to take lives in the world's most heavily armed society.
Images from reporters on the scene show a slew of bullet holes in the grocery store's window. / Photo: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP
A shooter has opened fire at an Arkansas supermarket, killing three civilians and wounding ten other people, including two police officers, Arkansas State Police said, part of a wider gun violence afflicting the world's most heavily armed society.
The suspect was also wounded in a shootout with police on Friday, Arkansas State Police Director Mike Hagar told reporters.
The shooting occurred at the Mad Butcher grocery in Fordyce, a town of 3,200 people about 112 kilometres south of Little Rock.
"Unfortunately, we can confirm that 11 innocent civilians were shot, and three of those are deceased. Two law enforcement officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire. The suspect was also shot and taken into custody," Hagar said.
He did not explain the circumstances of the shooting or take questions.
The wounded police officers and the suspect were expected to survive, he said.
Civilian wounds ranged from non-life-threatening to extremely critical, he said.
Video posted on social media showed at least one person lying in the parking lot, while another captured multiple gunshots ringing out.
Images from reporters on the scene showed a slew of bullet holes in the grocery store's window.
In video footage, local and state agencies could be seen responding to the scene, with at least one medical helicopter landing nearby.
Mass shootings
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on social media platform X that she was briefed on the incident.
"I am thankful to law enforcement and first responders for their quick and heroic action to save lives. My prayers are with the victims and all those impacted by this horrific incident," she said.
This is the latest mass shooting where a grocery store is its backdrop.
A white supremacist in 2022 killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket.
That shooting came a little more than a year after one at a Boulder, Colorado, supermarket, where ten people were killed.
According to the Gun Violence Archive's report published on Friday, the number of mass shootings in 2024 has risen to 234.
The current statistics show 7,923 homicides and 109 children, along with 560 teens, tragically killed.
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.