LCC K-9 COMFORT DOG TEAMS RETURN TO ARKANSAS AS GROCERY STORE REOPENS AFTER MASS SHOOTING

Lutheran Church Charities volunteers journeyed back to Fordyce, Arkansas, on Tuesday as the community marked the reopening of the Mad Butcher grocery store 12 days after a mass shooting there left four residents slain and 10 others wounded, including two law enforcement officers.

LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Persis, with K-9 handlers Roxy and Steve Hurry (a retired police officer) of the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministries Team from King of Kings Lutheran Church in Glenpool, Oklahoma, and LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Job, with K-9 handlers Genie and David Swan of the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministries Team from Christ the King Lutheran Church in Memphis, Tennessee, were on site in Arkansas to be with survivors of the mass shooting, families impacted by the tragedy, and the community's first responders.

The teams were invited for a second visit by Pastor Stewart Marshall of Trinity Lutheran Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to listen, grieve, provide comfort, pray, and show care to those hurting, as the town's grocery store and pharmacy opened its doors for the first time in nearly two weeks. 

LCC Comfort Dogs Persis and Job also made visits to the town post office, to Fordyce Bank & Trust (which paid for all the funeral costs for the four victims), and to the EMS dispatch station, where one dispatcher had been on the job for three weeks when the shooting occurred. Another dispatcher is just 19 years old.

At each stop, the teams presented Hearts of Mercy & Compassion as a physical symbol of the promise of God's sovereign care and love for those who hurt and are in need. The hearts and crosses placed at the memorial site in front of the Mad Butcher remained a focal point, covered in hand-written messages of support, love, and grief.

LCC seeks to provide those impacted by the Fordyce tragedy with an opportunity to receive support and care, ultimately finding solace found only in Jesus Christ.


LCC in the media this week
This week and last week, LCC staff, volunteers, and K-9 Comfort Dogs were highlighted by the Arkansas media for their visits to Fordyce. Online and television reports also showed LCC’s Hearts of Mercy & Compassion display at the memorial site in front of the grocery store.  ​

• Fordyce community feels support as Mad Butcher reopens (THV11)
• Mad Butcher grocery store reopens after deadly mass shooting (ABC7)
• Fordyce feels love in rampage’s wake (Arkansas Democrat Gazette)