‘I’m glad it’s coming to a close,’ Fordyce reacts to mass shooting guilty plea

FORDYCE, Ark. – A year and a month after the mass shooting in Fordyce, the gunman accused of all the bloodshed has changed his plea to guilty.

Travis Eugene Poses, a 45-year-old from New Edinburg, appeared in Ouachita County Circuit Court for a pre-trial hearing Monday morning. He has been held at the Ouachita County Detention Center since his arrest.

He was facing four counts of capital murder and 11 counts of attempted capital murder and pleaded guilty to all counts.

Victims’ families were among the audience on Monday. 23-year-old Callie Weems, 50-year-old Roy Sturgis, 52-year-old Shirley Taylor and 81-year-old Ellen Shrum lost their lives on June 21, 2024.

Sherry Jones lives in Fordyce. Like many in Fordyce, she lost a friend, Ellen Shrum, and nearly lost more had they been near the town’s only full-service grocery store.

“She was a close friend of mine. Her husband is a cousin. I’ve done her hair for years, and we were really close,” Jones explained.

Travis Eugene Posey’s plea was not guilty for over a year until he signed this guilty plea statement on Wednesday. He finalized the plea on Monday.

“I don’t see how he could have even thought about pleading not guilty because everybody saw it,” Jones stated.

 Billy Lee shops at Mad Butcher often and says even though the store’s inside has been fixed, it will take longer for the community to heal from what Posey pleaded guilty to.

“I don’t know what his (Posey’s) problem is. Nobody knows what his problem is,” Lee said.

As part of the plea agreement, the prosecution is recommending Posey receive four sentences of life without parole. One for each murder charge. They are also recommending eleven 20-year sentences, one for each attempted murder charge.

“It’s just really been hard on the town, the people, and kids. It’s affected just everybody here, and it’s just sad, and I’m glad that it’s coming to a close,” Jones said.

Investigators have not released any motive for this mass shooting, and Arkansas State Police said Posey’s criminal history before the mass shooting was nearly nonexistent. 

Posey’s next court date will be Aug. 4 at 10 a.m. where statements from victims will be read.