One shot at Arkansas Democratic Party headquarters Story Highlights
NEW: Suspect dies after police shoot him in standoff
NEW: DNC identifies victim as Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney
Arkansas Democratic chairman's aide asked store owner to call 911
Police haven't identified shooting victim
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(CNN) -- One person was shot Wednesday at the Little Rock headquarters of the Arkansas Democratic Party, police said.
The suspect was shot by police after a chase and later died, police said.
Police block off the streets surrounding the Democratic Party headquarters Wednesday in Little Rock.
1 of 2 Police would not identify the victim, who is in critical condition at a hospital.
However, a witness told CNN affiliate KTHV that Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney had been shot, and the Democratic National Committee issued a statement indicating Gwatney was the victim.
Police chased the unidentified white male for about 20 miles.
Police said man got out of the vehicle and began shooting at officers, who returned fire.
The suspect had walked into the downtown headquarters, near the state Capitol building, about 11:50 a.m. and started firing, Little Rock police Lt. Terry Hastings said, injuring "one of the people working in the office."
Asked about a possible motive, Hastings said, "Right now, we don't know." The investigation is ongoing, he said.
A woman in a nearby business told CNN affiliate KTHV that Gwatney's assistant came in and asked her to call police.
"I thought maybe someone had gotten hit by a car," said Sarah Lee, who works at a florist's shop. "She was just shaking really bad." But then the woman said that Gwatney had been shot and that three shots had been fired, Lee said.
"She said she was waiting on the gentleman. He wanted to see the chairman. She tried to give him Democratic party stuff," Lee said. "He took a sticker" but still wanted to speak to Gwatney, she said. "Evidently, he walked on around her and went in the office and started shooting."
A vehicle description was provided to police, Hastings said, and officers were able to locate it. After a chase into Grant County, about 20 miles south of Little Rock, the suspect was shot and taken into custody, he said. The chase involved Little Rock police, Arkansas State Police and the county sheriff's office, he said.
Former President Clinton and Sen. Hillary Clinton said in a statement that they are are "stunned and shaken by today's shooting at the Arkansas Democratic Party where our good friend and fellow Democrat Bill Gwatney was critically wounded. Bill is not only a strong chairman of Arkansas' Democratic Party, but he is also a cherished friend and confidante. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bill and his family today and we wish him a quick recovery."
In Sheridan, Arkansas, where the chase ended, a crowd gathered near the suspect's blue pickup truck as police cordoned off the area with yellow crime-scene tape. What appeared to be bullet holes could be seen in the truck's windshield.
People at the nearby Arkansas Baptist State Convention said that just after the shooting, a man with a gun walked into their building.
The man was "white as a sheet," said convention official Dan Jordan.
"I've heard he said something do to about losing a job. ... He didn't threaten anyone." The man left through the front door shortly afterward, he said.
Police have not said whether the two incidents are linked, according to CNN affiliate KARK.
CNN's Mary Lynn Ryan contributed to this report.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/13/arkansas.shooting/index.html
