Bill Gwatney killed By Timothy Dale Johnson

Bill Gwatney, chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party, is dead after being shot in his office by a man fired from a Target store earlier in the day.Police say the gunman, later identified as 50-year-old Timothy Dale Johnson, barged into the Arkansas Democratic headquarters and opened fire about noon yesterday, and then sped off in his pickup truck. Officers later shot and killed the suspect in Grant County after a 30-mile chase.

Officers said the 48-year-old Gwatney died four hours after the shooting near the state Capitol.Witnesses said the gunman entered the party offices said he wanted to see Gwatney about volunteering. After being refused admission to Gwatney's office, the man barged in and fired three shots after Gwatney greeted him.Conway police said a Target store 30 miles north of Little Rock had fired a man named Timothy Dale Johnson earlier yesterday because he had written graffiti on a store wall. The age and address provided by Conway officers also matched those provided by Little Rock police for its suspect.Gwatney was a former longtime legislator who owned three General Motors car dealerships in and around Little Rock. Police spokesman Lt. Terry Hastings said there was no known relationship between Gwatney and Johnson.