Roy Burton Sturgis, a 50-year-old White man from Kingsland, Arkansas, was remembered by his daughter as a simple man who loved to hunt, fish, and above all, love his family. A father and a hard-working man, he was described as kind, good with his words, and someone who would help anybody. His daughter Hanna, his pride and joy, said he was her rock.
On the morning of Friday, June 21, 2024, Sturgis was at the Mad Butcher grocery store in the nearby town of Fordyce, buying steaks for the
weekly Sunday steak dinner he shared with his daughter. As he was exiting the store, a man armed with a shotgun and a pistol began shooting in the parking lot. According to his daughter, Sturgis was outside and had the chance to drive away to safety. Instead, he made the selfless choice to go back toward the store to help and protect others who were in danger. During this heroic act, he was fatally wounded. Despite his injuries, Sturgis had the strength to get back to his truck and drive himself to the Dallas County Medical Center, where he died.
The shooting spree resulted in the deaths of three other people: Shirley Taylor, 62, Callie Weems, 23, and Ellen Shrum, 81. Eleven other civilians and two police officers were wounded in the attack, which shook the small community of Fordyce to its core. The entire incident, from the first shot to the suspect’s capture, lasted less than five minutes.
The gunman was quickly identified as Travis Eugene Posey, a 44-year-old from New Edinburg. He was injured in an exchange of gunfire with responding law enforcement officers and taken into custody at the scene. Investigators stated that there did not appear to be any personal relationship between Posey and the victims, and his motive was unclear. He was initially charged with four counts of capital murder, with additional charges pending.
Posey first pleaded not guilty, but on July 21, 2024, he accepted a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to four counts of capital murder and eleven counts of attempted capital murder. At a subsequent sentencing hearing, a judge sentenced him to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 220 years in prison. The case was closed with his conviction as of July 2024.
