FORDYCE, Ark. – Some of the biggest questions following the mass shooting in Fordyce that killed four people and injured 10 others have been: “Why do this?” and “What is the motive?”
In an effort to determine the cause of the shooting, KARK 4 News dove into the past of Travis Eugene Posey, the man accused in the fatal incident.
Posey is called Joey to most who know him in his hometown of New Edinburg, 12 miles southeast of Fordyce. He owns a trucking company and has a tree service listed in his name.
Former classmates of Posey said he went to New Edinburg and Kingsland High School after consolidation. Posey’s LinkedIn page states he went to the University of Arkansas–Monticello around the turn of the century and earned a master’s degree in forestry resources.
However, when it comes to prior brushes with the law, Arkansas State Police said Sunday that Posey’s criminal history is almost nonexistent.
An article from the New York-based news site NNY360.com from 2011 claims that while working as a truck driver, Posey had a gun confiscated upon arriving at the gates of Fort Drum, a military installation in upstate New York.
The article reported that Posey was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession, but pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct in LeRay Town Court.
This slight infraction is a far cry from the horrific actions Posey is accused of committing on Friday.
Norma McCoy said that when Posey removed a tree from her yard, she “couldn’t have asked for a nicer guy.” Hearing that he was the shooter stunned her.
“Heartbreaking,” McCoy said of the revelation. “I said, ‘I can’t believe it.'”
McCoy and her neighbor Patricia Huddleston also know Posey’s family and said they didn’t think the motive would ever be known. McCoy fears Posey has “given in,” while Huddleston said the devil got him.
“If that’s how he felt, he should have killed himself,” Huddleston said. “He should have killed himself instead of someone else’s.”
Bankruptcy court records for the Eastern District of Arkansas show Posey filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010. Her father died in 2021, but her other family is still very involved in her life.
KARK 4 News went to Posey’s address to try to speak with someone about Friday’s shooting. People on the property said they did not want to talk, asking crews to leave their property during the meeting.
McCoy said that even with the grief she feels for those killed and injured in the shooting, she also has feelings for the family of the man accused of the heinous act.
“This mother of Joey and the sisters, because they wonder, ‘What could I have done?’ What was going on that I didn’t see?'” she said. “So it’s going to be hard for them. We need to let them know, ‘Hey, you’re not to blame. We We are behind you. You have our prayers and support.
News Source : www.kark.com
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