Local political activists react to news of Gwatney’s death
Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/News/64718/
ROGERS — Benton County Democrats and others reacted Wednesday to the news that state Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney had been shot in Little Rock.
A man armed with a revolver shot and killed Gwatney at party headquarters late Wednesday morning.
Gwatney, 48, died from his wound at 3: 59 p. m. at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center in Little Rock.
Former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Clinton, DN. Y., issued a written statement Wednesday afternoon saying that Gwatney had died.
Suzanne Jessup, Benton County Democratic Central Committee secretary, said she had heard the news of the attack on Gwatney from another county Central Committee member and had been hearing from others about it since then.
“ Members of the Democratic Central Committee in Benton County are shocked, ” Jessup said. “ Chairman Gwatney was here approximately two weeks ago, energizing us to vote for Barack Obama. He (Gwatney ) is a very capable chairman of the Democratic Party. ”
Gwatney was the keynote speaker Aug. 2 at a county Democratic Party rally in the auditorium at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Vaughn.
Thurman Metcalf of Rogers said Wednesday’s shooting makes him worry about security.
Metcalf is preparing to serve as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colo., next month.
His concern is not for himself but for others, not in the least prospective Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, Metcalf said.
And Henri Keith, Benton County Republican Committee secretary who was recovering from surgery Wednesday, nevertheless put out a statement.
She regrets the tragedy and will keep the Gwatney family in her prayers, Henri Keith said in a press release relayed by her husband, Circuit Judge Tom Keith.
“ She regrets the resort to violence, no matter what the motivation may have been, ” Judge Keith said.
CNN reported Wednesday afternoon that the suspect in the shooting, identified by authorities as Timothy Dale Johnson, 50, of Searcy, had also died Wednesday, following a high-speed chase with police that ended in gunfire.
For the full story, see today’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.