| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Home Front: Politix | |
| Report of shots at Arkansas Dems headquarters | |
| 2008-08-13 | |
Three shots were reportedly fired before a man escaped the area in a blue truck. However, the suspect was shot and apprehended following a 25-mile car chase with police, Little Rock police Lt. Terry Hastings told FOX News. ÒThere has been an incident at the party and chairman (Bill) Gwatney has been taken to the hospital,Ó Bruce Sinclair, the director of the state Democratic Party, said without describing the shooting. Sarah Lee, a sales clerk at a flower shop across the street from party headquarters, said that around noon GwatneyÕs secretary ran into the shop and asked someone to call 911. She said a man had come into the party and shot Gwatney multiple times. Lee said the secretary told her the man had come into the partyÕs office and asked to speak with Gwatney. When the secretary said she wouldnÕt allow him to meet with Gwatney, the man went into his office and shot him, Lee said. She said the secretary described the man as a white male in his 40s, wearing a white shirt and khaki-colored pants. The secretary told Lee he drove off in a blue truck. Lee told FOX News: ÒHe demanded to talk to Bill Gwatney,Ó and said the secretary knew the gun went off, not the extent of the injuries. She said several other employees were also in the building at the time of the shooting. ÒThey all left the building as quick as they could.Ó Gwatney, owner of a car dealership, was elected as chairman of the state party in March 2007. He served 10 years in the Arkansas state Senate and was the finance chairman for Mike BeebeÕs successful 2006 gubernatorial bid. He is a superdelegate who endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, according to the Web site sourcewatch.org. Lee described him as, Òa very nice, polished manÓ and a Òbig joker.Ó Gwatney also earned a reputation for being an outspoken critic of former Arkansas Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee, coining the phrase, ÒPinning Huckabee down on an issue is like nailing Jello to the wall.Ó | |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #5 Both are dead. Latest update from the site: Police said they don’t yet know the motive for the shooting, however, they said that moments after the shooting, he pointed a handgun at the building manager at the nearby Arkansas Baptist headquarters and reportedly said, “I lost my job.” |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-08-13 21:03 |
| #4 My condolences to his family and friends as well. At they won't have the pain of going through a murder trial, but it's small comfort indeed. God forbid that the despicable thug who committed this outrage has any connection with the GOP. |
| Posted by: ryuge 2008-08-13 20:47 |
| #3 Hehas now died. My condolences to his family. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2008-08-13 17:21 |
| #2 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Police say a man suspected of bursting into the Arkansas Democratic Party headquarters and shooting the party chairman has died. Police say the suspect burst into the office of Party Chairman Bill Gwatney and fired three shots. Gwatney is hospitalized in critical condition. 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. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-08-13 15:57 |
| #1 Condolences to Mr. Gwatney and his family. FOX News TV is reporting that he's in critical condition right now. The TV also is reporting that police shot and apprehended the assailant. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-08-13 15:24 |