Callie Weems was enjoying her new role as a mother in the months leading up to her tragic death at a grocery store in Arkansas.
Her baby daughter, Ivy, who is now 10 months old, brought her endless joy and amazement, as recalled by Weems’ mother, Helen Browning, 53, in a phone interview on Sunday while reminiscing about her daughter. Weems was one of four individuals who lost their lives in the shooting at the Mad Butcher store in Fordyce, Arkansas, on Friday, according to authorities. Just an hour before the incident, Weems was delighted that her daughter allowed her to sleep in until 9 a.m. that morning.
“’I bet you feel like a new mom,’” Browning remembered texting back.
This was their final conversation before 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey of New Edinburg opened fire at the store, tragically taking Weems’ life as she was helping another victim of the shooting, as stated by Arkansas State Police Director Mike Hagar on Sunday.
“Instead of fleeing the store, she stopped to render aid in one of the most selfless acts I’ve ever seen,” he mentioned at a press conference.
According to state police, a total of 14 people were shot on Friday, including 11 civilians, two law enforcement officers, and Posey.
This marked the third mass shooting at a grocery store in the United States in the last three years. In 2022, a white supremacist killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket. This came shortly after 10 individuals were fatally shot at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.
On Sunday, police mentioned that Posey’s motive was still unclear and there appeared to be no personal connection between him and the victims.
He was armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, a pistol, and additional shotgun rounds in a bandolier. Most, if not all, of the rounds were fired using the shotgun, as he targeted people in the parking lot before entering the store and shooting “indiscriminately” at customers and employees, Hagar explained.
Fordyce police and Dallas County sheriff’s deputies arrived promptly, with Posey engaging in gunfire with them before being apprehended.
For Browning, the tragedy was compounded by her relationship with another victim, Roy Sturgis, 50, who also lost his life in the shooting. Browning described Sturgis as part of her extended family, a logger, and a devoted father to his daughter.
“Roy was as country as cornbread,” she expressed. “He lived a simple life. He was a simple man.”
The other individuals who perished were identified as Shirley Taylor, 62, and Ellen Shrum, 81.
Taylor cared for her husband, who was diabetic, and enjoyed crocheting, as shared by her daughter, Angela Atchley, with KTHV in Little Rock, Arkansas.
“She was our family rock,” Atchley recalled.
Residents of Fordyce, a city with about 3,200 people located 65 miles (104 kilometers) south of Little Rock, were in shock from the shooting, mentioned city council member Roderick Rogers on Sunday.
Rogers rushed to the grocery store on Friday after receiving calls for assistance.
“It was like a war zone,” Rogers described, recalling the gunman firing wildly in the parking lot.
The tight-knit community was concerned about those still in the hospital and the threat of further violence, he added.
“A lot of people are frightened,” he stated. “They want to feel safe right now.”
Hagar highlighted that the responders at the scene knew both the shooter and the victims, making the incident particularly challenging and personal.
The wounded individuals ranged in age from 20 to 65, with four still hospitalized, including one in critical condition.
Police confirmed that Posey, currently in custody at the Ouachita County Detention Center, will face four counts of capital murder.
A spokesperson for the state police mentioned Sunday that Posey had legal representation, although the attorney’s name was not disclosed.
Browning shared that Posey went to school with her youngest sister, and she could have never imagined him committing such a violent act.
She now plans to raise Ivy.
“She will know that her mother loved her,” Browning declared. “And that she was the sunshine of momma’s eyes.”
