Mad Gunman Murders Arkansas Democrat

[Anguirus]

Why am I not that surprised?

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A man barged into the Arkansas Democratic headquarters and opened fire Wednesday, fatally shooting the state party chairman before speeding off in his pickup. Police later shot and killed the suspect after a 30-mile chase.

Little Rock police spokesman Lt. Terry Hastings identified the suspect as Timothy Dale Johnson, 50, of Searcy. Police said they don't know a motive. However, they said that moments after the shooting he pointed a handgun at the building manager at the nearby the Arkansas Baptist headquarters. He told the manager "I lost my job," said Dan Jordan, a Baptist convention official.

Chairman Bill Gwatney died four hours after the shooting. The 48-year-old former state senator had been planning to travel to the Democratic National Convention later this month as a superdelegate. He had backed Hillary Rodham Clinton but endorsed Barack Obama after she dropped out of the race.

Clinton and her husband, former President and former Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, issued a statement saying Gwatney was "not only a strong chairman of Arkansas' Democratic Party, but ... also a cherished friend and confidante."

Witnesses said the gunman entered the party offices shortly before noon and said he wanted to see Gwatney.

"He said he was interested in volunteering, but that was obviously a lie," said 17-year-old party volunteer Sam Higginbotham. He said that when the suspect was refused a meeting with Gwatney, he pushed past employees to reach the chairman's office.

Hastings said the suspect and Gwatney introduced themselves to one another, at which time the suspect "pulled out a handgun and shot Gwatney several times." Hastings didn't say what the two discussed, but said their discussion was not a heated one.

After the suspect avoided spike strips and a roadblock along U.S. 167 near Sheridan, police rammed his car, spinning it, said Grant County Sheriff Lance Huey. He got out of his truck and began shooting, and state police and sheriff's deputies fired back, striking him several times, he said.

Hastings said investigators found at least two handguns in the suspect's truck.

There was a busy signal at a phone number listed under Johnson's name Wednesday night.

The state Capitol was locked down for about an hour until police got word the gunman had been captured, said Arkansas State Capitol police Sgt. Charlie Brice.

Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat who served with Gwatney in the state Senate, had been on a flight to Springdale in northwestern Arkansas. He returned to Little Rock and joined an impromptu vigil at University Hospital after what he called a "shocking and senseless attack." Gwatney had been Beebe's finance chairman during the governor's 2006 campaign.

"Arkansas has lost a great son, and I have lost a great friend. There is deep pain in Arkansas tonight because of the sheer number of people who knew, respected and loved Bill Gwatney," Beebe 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."

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

Lee said the secretary told her the man had come into the party's office and asked to speak with Gwatney. When the secretary said she wouldn't allow him to meet with Gwatney, the man went into his office and shot him, Lee said.

Last November, a distraught man wearing what appeared to be a bomb walked into a Clinton campaign office in New Hampshire and demanded to speak to the candidate about access to mental health care. A hostage drama dragged on for nearly six hours until he peacefully surrendered.

The confrontation brought Clinton's campaign to a standstill just five weeks before the New Hampshire primary. Security for her was increased as a precaution. She said she did not know the suspect.

Middle-aged guy from Arkansas with a pick-up truck and multiple handguns loses his job, wigs out, and kills a prominent Democratic politician. Just goes to show you, if you demonize your political enemies enough, you will convince some wacko that it's worth his life to murder one.

[Coyote]

This and that shooting a month or so ago-- where the redneck flipped out and killed people because the congregation was "too liberal" and supported gay rights...

It's all politically-motivated terrorism. Anyone ready to place bets on if that will be the prism through which this is seen, though?

[MKSheppard]

May be more to this than first blush guesses:

Link

SEARCY, Ark. (AP) - Police are exploring possible links between the Arkansas Democratic Party chairman who was gunned down in his office yesterday and his killer.

The victim, Bill Gwatney, was fatally shot by Timothy Dale Johnson, who was then killed by officers after a 30-minute chase.

Authorities say a search of the dead gunman's home turned up 14 guns, antidepressants, his last will and testament and a Post-It note that bore his victim's last name and a telephone number.

Gwatney owned three Little Rock area car dealerships and the search of Johnson's home turned up two sets of keys for vehicles from Gwatney car lots.

In Little Rock, wreaths and flowers line the sidewalk in front of the state Democratic Party headquarters in memory of Gwatney.

[Anguirus]

^ Interesting. I presume they would have said something in the article if Johnson had worked for Gwatney and gotten fired, but that's the only other remotely reasonable motive I can come up with.

So apparently this guy owned at least 17 guns.

[Ender]

^ Interesting. I presume they would have said something in the article if Johnson had worked for Gwatney and gotten fired, but that's the only other remotely reasonable motive I can come up with.

So apparently this guy owned at least 17 guns.

Some of the other reports I've read have said this - it looks like it might have just been an ex-employee tripping balls.