Mass shooting shutters Arkansas town's only grocery store — for now

FORDYCE, Ark. (AP) — A steady rain was falling outside Fordyce High School, but that didn't deter an army of volunteers who raced to hand out jugs of milk and bags of groceries to a line of cars snaked around the parking lot.

In the days since a shooter killed four people and injured 10 others at the Mad Butcher grocery, this town of 3,200 people has been grieving and grappling with the shock of a mass killing. But the community has also faced the void left by the temporary closure of its only grocery store.

While the Mad Butcher’s workers have been cleaning up from the aftermath of the violence in the south Arkansas store, residents have few nearby alternatives. Though the town has a Walmart and discount retailers with some food options, the closest grocery stores or supermarkets are located in neighboring cities at least half an hour away.

“A lot of people don't have the ability to get there or elderly people don't want to go that far,” said Darrin Brazil, the school's basketball coach, who organized the food pickup with two former classmates. “We just want to do that for the community for help people that really need that.”

The school, a city facility and churches are among sites set up for residents to pick up groceries while the store is closed and being cleaned up.

The struggle has highlighted concerns about “food deserts,” areas without access to affordable, healthy food nearby. Similar efforts sprung up in Buffalo in 2022 after a white supremacist killed 10 people at a supermarket.

"It’s a basic need that people have. It’s kind of bringing us together, to be honest," said Roderick Rogers, a city council member and pastor. “We’re trying to respond with love to overcome this tragedy.”

The front of the Mad Butcher was still riddled with bullets on Wednesday as workers were inside cleaning up and making repairs. A makeshift memorial for the victims — including crosses, flowers and candles — was set up next to the parking lot.

A banner reading “#WeAreFordyceStrong” hung under the store's name and green awning.

“Temporarily closed” signs were taped to the store's front doors. “Please pray for our community," they said.

Police have not given a motive for the shooting. Travis Eugene Posey, 44, pleaded not guilty this week to four counts of capital murder and ten counts of attempted capital murder and is being held in a neighboring county's jail without bond. Posey was injured after a shootout with police officers who responded to the attack, authorities said.

Police have said Posey was armed with a handgun and a shotgun, and multiple gunshot victims were found in the store and its parking lot. Authorities have said Posey did not appear to have a personal connection to any of the victims.

Many of the volunteers stocking up bags and handing them out at the school on Wednesday knew the victims or someone who was in the store as the shooting unfolded.

“The whole city of Fordyce is hurting over this,” said Elvis Smith, the maintenance director for the school district. His wife was in the store during the attack and escaped through a back door.

Houchens Industries, the Kentucky-based company that owns Mad Butcher, said it expected to reopen the store in the coming week, Little Rock television station KTHV reported.

Residents driving through the school's parking lot said they hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

“You definitely don't know what to do,” said Jayda Carlson, who dropped by the school to pick up groceries with her grandmother-in-law on Wednesday. "Am I going to have to spend more money on gas to get groceries and stuff that we need?”

FILE - Police respond to the scene of a shooting, Friday, June 21, 2024, in Fordyce, Ark. (KATV via AP, File)

Damage can be seen to a front window law enforcement officers work the scene of a shooting at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, Ark., Friday, June 21, 2024. (Colin Murphey/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)

A sign in memory of the four victims killed in a mass shooting at the Mad Butcher grocery store sits near the store's parking lot in Fordyce, Ark., on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)

Volunteers hand out bags of groceries and jugs of milk to cars lined up at Fordyce High School in Fordyce, Arkansas on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. The school is one of several food distribution sites that have been set up to help residents after a mass shooting at the Mad Butcher grocery store. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)

Signs are taped to the front doors of the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, Ark. on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. The store has been closed in the days following a mass shooting that killed four people, and volunteers in the community have been setting up food distribution sites to help residents. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)

Volunteers hand out bags of groceries and jugs of milk to cars lined up at Fordyce High School in Fordyce, Ark., Wednesday, June 26, 2024. The school is one of several food distribution sites that have been set up to help residents after a mass shooting at the Mad Butcher grocery store. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)

Trucks sit parked in front of the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, Ark., Wednesday, June 26, 2024. The store has remained closed in the days following a mass shooting that killed four people, prompting volunteers to scramble to set up food distribution sites for residents. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)

NEW YORK (AP) — Video released late Saturday shows an officer in upstate New York fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy who had been tackled to the ground after he ran from police and pointed a replica handgun at them.

The teen was killed a little after 10 p.m. Friday in Utica after officers in the city about 240 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of Manhattan stopped two youths in connection with an armed robbery investigation, police said.

The youths, both 13, matched the descriptions of the robbery suspects and were in the same area at around the same time the day after, police said. One was also walking in the road, a violation of state traffic law.

The body camera video released by police captures an officer saying he needs to pat them down to ensure they don't have any weapons in their possession. Immediately one of the two, identified by police as as Nyah Mway, runs away.

Authorities froze frames of the video where a running Nyah Mway appears to point the gun at the pursuing officers. Police also edited the video to insert a red circle around the weapon to show it to viewers.

The officers believed it was a handgun, police said, but it was later determined to be a replica of a Glock 17 Gen 5 handgun with a detachable magazine.

“During a ground struggle” with the teen, one of the officers fired a single shot that struck the boy in the chest, Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said.

The teen was given “immediate” first aid by the officers and taken to Wynn Hospital, where he died, the chief said.

The replica gun carried by the teen “is in all aspects a realistic appearing firearm with GLOCK markings, signatures, detachable magazine, and serial numbers,” Lt. Michael Curley, a police spokesperson, said via email. “However ultimately it fires only pellets or BB’s.”

A bystander video posted to Facebook shows one of the officers chasing after Nyah Mway and tackling him to the ground. It also shows the officer punching the teen as two other officers arrive. A gunshot rings out as the teen is on the ground and the officers quickly stand up.

The officer who fired his gun was identified as Patrick Husnay, a six-year veteran of the agency. Husnay and Officers Bryce Patterson and Andrew Citriniti were placed on administrative leave with pay.

The police body camera video shows a chaotic scene.

Nyah Mway points the replica handgun at the officers while he runs from them. The officers scream “gun!” to each other as they run. Patterson then tackles and punches Nyah Mway, and as the two are wrestling on the ground, Husnay opens fire.

Officers initially thought Nyah Mway may have shot himself, and Patterson says, “I don’t know if he shot me.” It is not clear whether he is referring to Nyah Mway or his fellow officer. Patterson was not struck.

Bystanders scream at the police throughout the recordings, and at one point an officer yells back: “We’re trying to save him right now!”

The other youth was detained in the back of a police vehicle and was not involved in the shooting.

During his “public safety statement,” a brief interview typically done in the aftermath of a police shooting to ensure there is no additional threat, Husnay said he fired one round “straight towards the ground.” He did not know whether Nyah Mway had fired at the officers but said he thought the weapon was a 22-caliber handgun.

The police department released the body camera videos following a public outcry as the shooting roiled Utica, a city with a population of 65,000. It is home to more than 4,200 people from Myanmar, according to The Center, a nonprofit that helps to resettle the refugees.

Nyah Mway, who local media reports said was an 8th grader at Donovan Middle School, was identified as a refugee born in Myanmar and a member of the Karen ethnic minority.

Karens are an ethnic minority among the groups warring with the military rulers of Myanmar, the Southeast Asian country formerly known as Burma. The army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests that sought a return to democratic rule.

A tense news conference Saturday ended early as Williams, the city’s mayor and an interpreter struggled to speak over repeated audience outbursts. Members of the community, including the youth’s family, were in attendance.

The police department is conducting an internal investigation to see whether officers followed policies and training. The state attorney general will open its own case to determine if the shooting was justified.

“I want to offer my heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased party during this difficult time,” Williams said. "This is a tragic and traumatic incident for all involved.”

Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.

This combination of images released by the Utica Police Department shows a replica of a Glock 17 Gen 5 handgun recovered after an officer fatally shot a 13-year-old boy who had been tackled to the ground after he ran from police and pointed the replica gun at them on Friday, June 28, 2024, in Utica, N.Y. (Utica, N.Y., Police Department via AP)

Utica Mayor Michael Galime, center right, grey jacket, talks with the family members of a 13-year-old boy who was fatally shot by a police officer Friday night after a news conference, Saturday, June 28, 2024 in Utica, N.Y. An officer shot and killed the teenager who was fleeing while wielding a “realistic appearing firearm," authorities said Saturday. (Kenny Lacy Jr./Syracuse.com via AP)

Police investigate the scene of Friday nights shooting in Utica, N.Y., early Saturday, June 29, 2024. An officer shot and killed a teen fleeing while pointing a replica gun, police said Saturday. (Kenny Lacy Jr./Syracuse.com via AP)