Wounded suspect in Ark. shooting dies after chase

By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press Writer 3 minutes ago

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Police say a man suspected of bursting into the Arkansas Democratic Party headquarters and shooting the party chairman has died.

Police Lt. Terry Hastings says authorities chased the suspect into Grant County, south of Little Rock, and that he was fatally wounded during a 30-mile chase.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A gunman barged into the Arkansas Democratic Party headquarters Wednesday and shot the state party chairman, critically wounding him, authorities and party officials said.

The gunman demanded to speak to the party chairman, Bill Gwatney, and fired three shots at the office near the state Capitol.

The victim was in critical condition, Hastings said. He didn‘t identify him, but Democratic Party officials confirmed the victim was Gwatney, a former state senator.

Millie McLain, a reporter for the Sheridan Headlight newspaper, said the suspect‘s blue truck was turned sideways along a highway northeast of Sheridan. Emergency crews were loading the man onto a Med-Flight helicopter.

Sarah Lee, a sales clerk at a flower shop across street from the party headquarters, said that Gwatney‘s secretary ran into the shop around noon and asked someone to call 911.

She said the secretary described him as a white man in his 40s and said he drove off in a blue truck.

Dan Jordan, the Baptist group‘s business manager, said a man pointed a gun at another official there, and when asked what was wrong, the man said, "I lost my job." Jordan said he didn‘t know if it was the same suspect.

Party director Bruce Sinclair and House Majority Leader Steve Harrelson, a Democrat, identified Gwatney as the victim.

Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat who served with Gwatney in the Legislature, had been on a flight to Springdale in northwestern Arkansas but returned to the Capitol after hearing about the shooting, Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said.

Karen Ray, executive director of the Republican Party of Arkansas, sent her workers home early "out of an abundance of caution."

"Our hearts go out to everyone at the Democratic headquarters. What a tragedy," Ray said. "This is just a very upsetting, troubling and scary thing for our staff as well."

Gwatney, who owns three GM car dealerships in Pulaski County, served 10 years in the state Senate. Gwatney was Beebe‘s finance chairman during Beebe‘s run for governor in 2006.



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