(GoRealNewsNow.com) – As gunfire erupted at a small-town grocery store in Arkansas, a hero nurse was killed while trying to provide life-saving aid to another gunshot victim.
Colonel Mike Hagar of the Arkansas State Police said at a press conference that 23-year-old Callie Weems, instead of fleeing from the obvious danger, tried to save person from the shooting.
“During the incident, we observed the very best and the very worst of humanity,” said Hagar, commending the young woman’s “selfless actions” during the mass shooting.
“She died doing what she always does: helping,” her father, Tommy Weems, said.
According to Hagar, 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey (the suspect), had “no personal connection” with any of the 14 gunshot victims. “It was just a completely random, senseless act,” he said.
Arkansas State Police said in a statement that the suspect will be charged with four counts of capital murder, with additional charges pending. His online booking record lists capital murder and attempted capital murder.
Exiting his truck, “he immediately began engaging victims in the parking lot,” Hagar said, adding that “once inside, he was firing indiscriminately at both customers and employees,” who were targets of opportunity.
Moreover, police arrived less than three minutes after the first shot and arrested the suspect within five minutes. In that short time, 15 people — 12 civilians, two police officers, and the suspect — were shot.
Of the surviving civilian victims — five women and three men ranging in age from 20 to 65 — five remain hospitalized, including one critically.
Subsequently, the suspect was treated and booked into Ouachita County Detention Center. Yet, a court date has not been set, and it was not immediately clear if he had retained a defense lawyer.
Her father told The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that her daughter was named “Woodrow” after the character of the same name in the Western book and TV series Lonesome Dove.
Calling the young nurse “a phenomenal mom” and “a hero,” a friend commented that she died trying to save someone else. What a special friend we all had!”
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