Arkansas Democratic Chairman In Critical Condition After Shooting at HQ: UPDATE: Gwatney and Shooter Dead

The details are still sketchy, but a suspect walked into the offices in Little Rock, and proceeded to fire three times. The chairman, Bill Gwatney, was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The suspect attempted to escape and drove 25 miles before being captured following being shot. Motive is unknown but the shooter apparently wanted to speak to Gwatney and barged into his office after the secretary said he wasn't available:

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.

She said the secretary described the man as in his 40s and white and drove off in a blue truck.

Lee told FOX News: “He demanded to talk to Bill Gwatney,” and said the secretary knew the gun went off, not the extent of the injuries.

This isn't the first time there's been violence at a Democrat's offices this election season. In November, a drunken nut took hostages at Sen. Hillary Clinton's New Hampshire offices and claimed to have a bomb. Thankfully, no one was injured in that incident.

Here, my thoughts and prayers go out to Gwatney and his family.

UPDATE:
Thoughts on motive: The most likely motive is that the shooter had a personal grudge against the guy. He owns car dealerships, and someone unhappy with their car deal might have taken it out on Gwatney. Less likely is that it had anything to do with politics.

UPDATE:
More details on the shooter. He was in his 50s and was airlifted after being shot by police following a 25 mile car chase. The shooter died at the hospital. The suspect's identity will not be revealed until his family has been notified. The paper also reports the following:

A white man in a white t-shirt also flashed a gun in the Arkansas Baptist Convention building downtown, according to witnesses. The man left without incident, but police were called.

No word on whether the two incidents are related or that it was the same person at present. At the moment, I'd say that is a curious coincidence.

UPDATE:
Already, the unhinged leftists are blaming folks like Michelle Malkin for the attempted murder of Gwatney.

UPDATE:
Gateway Pundit is live blogging, and also notes how quickly the usual suspects have come to blame Rush Limbaugh for the shooting, which may have been over the guy being fired from his job.

UPDATE:
Truly a sad day in Arkansas as Bill Gwatney died of the injuries sustained in the incident this afternoon. The murderer has been identified as Timothy Dale Johnson, 50, of Searcy, but motive still remains unknown although some sources suggest that he may have been an employee recently fired from one of Gwatney's car dealerships.

Johnson's attempted escape was dangerous and could have been even more deadly:

At a Sheridan news conference, State Police described a chase of roughly 30 minutes and 30 miles that ended in the suspect's fatal wounding. State Police on the Pine Bluff freeway got news of the wanted vehicle at 12:06 p.m. and spotted it at Dixon Road a few minutes later. They gave chase and followed when the driver took the turnoff to Sheridan.

Before it was over, four LR police cars, three state cruisers and Grant County deputies joined the chase. Five miles north of Sheridan, the suspect evaded a spiked puncture strip and roadblock. He was forced into a ditch near Sheridan, but kept driving. Sheridan police began shooting to disable the car, but, even with flattened tires, he kept driving on Little Creek Cutoff to its intersection with Highway 46. Finally, after multiple rammings by three police cars, as shots were being exchanged, the pickup came to a stop. The police say the suspect opened fire and officers returned the fire, finally mortally wounding him. That brought the chase to an end about 30 minutes after it began. Multiple weapons were seized, including a revolver, rifle and semi-automatic weapon.