A 23-year-old nurse and a 63-year-old grandmother have been named as two of three victims who were shot to death at an Arkansas grocery store.
Seven other shoppers were injured in Friday’s tragic shooting, where accused gunman Travis Posey, 44, allegedly opened fire before being hit in a police shootout.
Tributes have poured in for young mother Callie Weems and grandmother Shirley Kay Taylor, who were killed at the scene along with a third deceased victim yet to be named.
Posey, owner of a tree service company, was detained with non-life-threatening injuries after being shot in a shootout with police, as terrified witnesses hid in freezers during the shocking episode.
Callie Weems, pictured with her 10-month-old daughter Ivy, was tragically killed in the mass shooting in Fordyce, Arkansas, where two other people were killed and seven more were injured.
Grandmother Shirley Kay Ivey, 63, was also killed in the senseless shooting, and a third unnamed man, believed to be related to Weems, was also shot to death.
Posey allegedly began the mass shooting around 11:30 a.m., as witnesses said he shot through the front windows of the grocery store before quickly firing several bullets inside.
Cellphone footage captured Posey in the parking lot with a long gun, allegedly shooting at the Mad Butcher store and police arriving at the scene.
A total of 10 people were shot and authorities say the motive for the massacre remains unclear.
Weems’ devastated mother, Helen Browning, said she initially believed her daughter was safe because she turned on her location tracker when she heard about the mass shooting and saw she was in the hospital.
“I’m thinking, ‘She’s at work. She came to help,” Browning said. fox16.
But she said her fears increased when she couldn’t locate her daughter, and she said the tragic truth dawned on her when she rushed to the scene with Callie’s stepfather, Bruce Grice.
“My best friend was standing there and I said, ‘Kristie, tell me my baby is okay,’ and she said, ‘I can’t,'” Browning said. “And that’s when I broke down.”
Travis Posey, 44, has been identified by authorities as the alleged gunman in the shooting. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being hit in a shootout with police.
A total of 10 people were shot and authorities say the motive for the massacre remains unclear.
Callie Weems’ heartbroken mother revealed she initially thought her daughter, who is a nurse, was safe because she saw she was in the hospital.
Shirley’s tragic death was announced by her daughter
Helen mourned the loss of Callie, the mother of her 10-month-old daughter Ivy, and revealed she had known Posey since he was a child.
“I just want to know why Joey Posey woke up this morning and decided he needed to ruin families’ lives,” she said.
The grieving mother revealed that her niece’s father was the third victim killed in the shooting, whose name has not been publicly identified, and said his loss is a “double blow for our family.”
In addition to the two family members shot to death, 63-year-old Shirley Kay Taylor was also killed in the senseless mass shooting.
Her daughter Angela Atchley revealed the heartbreaking news on Facebook, where she said her mother was a “great woman” who “didn’t deserve this.”
Witness Katrina Doherty said cnn who was shopping with her 18-year-old daughter and four-year-old son when bullets rang out throughout the store.
She fled to a freezer with other shoppers and staff at the back of the building, as her family “still heard gunshots.”
“It was like in slow motion, my daughter was saying, ‘Mom, pinch me, this can’t be real,’ and I was like, ‘Baby, it’s real.’
Doherty said they remained trapped inside the freezer as the shooter rampaged outside the store, and were unable to call 911 because there was no cell service inside.
She said the entire group in the freezer was in “panic mode,” and when her son started crying, “they finally managed to calm him down because he didn’t want the shooter to hear him.”
‘We were just sitting there and praying. I was in panic mode. “My son almost froze to death,” she said.
Callie’s heartbroken mother said after her death: “I just want to know why Joey Posey woke up this morning and decided he needed to ruin the families lives.”
Damage can be seen on a front window. Law enforcement officers work at the scene on Friday.
‘We tried to keep him quiet, but he said he loved his dad. He felt like we were there forever.
‘I was asking the Lord to protect everyone. He was just praying. The other lady was praying. She was crying.’
The group only emerged when police warned them it was safe, following a shootout with the gunman that left two officers injured.
Arkansas State Police said Posey is in a nearby hospital, but is expected to be charged with three counts of capital murder, with additional charges likely to be filed as well.
