Bill Gwatney
Encyclopedia
Bill Gwatney was an American
politician who served as the State Chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas
. Prior to being State Chair, he was a State Senator
for 10 years. He had also been the financial chair for Mike Beebe's run for Governor of Arkansas in 2006. He owned three car dealership
s in Pulaski County. Gwatney was selected as a superdelegate
at the 2008 Democratic National Convention
, and was replaced by his widow Rebecca Rankin following his assassination.
and shot Gwatney three times. Gwatney was taken to a hospital, but died at 3:59 pm CDT.
The gunman had said he wanted to speak with Gwatney about volunteering, but sidestepped his assistant when she said he was busy. After the shooting, the gunman fled the scene in his truck and led police on a 30 miles (48.3 km) chase out of Little Rock. Johnson was fatally shot by police after a PIT maneuver
forced him off the road into a field near Sheridan
. No motive was discovered, except Johnson quitting his Target job earlier that day.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician who served as the State Chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas
Democratic Party of Arkansas
The Democratic Party of Arkansas is the local branch of the United States Democratic Party in the state of Arkansas. It is responsible for promoting the ideologies and core values of the national Democratic Party in Arkansas.-History:...
. Prior to being State Chair, he was a State Senator
Arkansas Senate
The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 76,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have full-time jobs during the rest of the year. The...
for 10 years. He had also been the financial chair for Mike Beebe's run for Governor of Arkansas in 2006. He owned three car dealership
Car dealership
A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...
s in Pulaski County. Gwatney was selected as a superdelegate
Superdelegate
"Superdelegate" is an informal term commonly used for some of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the United States Democratic Party....
at the 2008 Democratic National Convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...
, and was replaced by his widow Rebecca Rankin following his assassination.
Death
On August 13, 2008, Gwatney was fatally wounded when a man, identified in news reports as Timothy Dale Johnson, 50, entered Democratic Party headquarters in Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
and shot Gwatney three times. Gwatney was taken to a hospital, but died at 3:59 pm CDT.
The gunman had said he wanted to speak with Gwatney about volunteering, but sidestepped his assistant when she said he was busy. After the shooting, the gunman fled the scene in his truck and led police on a 30 miles (48.3 km) chase out of Little Rock. Johnson was fatally shot by police after a PIT maneuver
PIT maneuver
The PIT maneuver is a method by which one car pursuing another can force the pursued vehicle to abruptly turn sideways to the direction of travel, causing the driver to lose control and stop. The backronym "PIT" has a number of different meanings, depending on the agency using it or school...
forced him off the road into a field near Sheridan
Sheridan, Arkansas
Sheridan is the largest city and county seat in Grant County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,872 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area. .-History:Robert W...
. No motive was discovered, except Johnson quitting his Target job earlier that day.