Little Rock police have closed their investigation into the Aug. 13 fatal shooting of Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney without reaching a conclusion as to motive.

Timothy Dale Johnson, 50, of Searcy shot Gwatney, 48, at the party’s headquarters and led authorities on a high-speed chase into Grant County before being shot and killed by police. Investigators were unable to establish a connection between the two men, Little Rock police Lt. Terry Hastings said today.

“There’s no conclusion,” Hastings said. “We still don’t have a reason why he killed him.”

A note bearing the name “Gwatney” and a phone number that police found in Johnson’s home yielded no clues to a motive, Hastings said. The phone number was an old number, now disconnected, for the service department of one of the auto dealerships Gwatney owned, he said.

“It’s an old note. It doesn’t tie to anything,” Hastings said.

An examination of the contents of Johnson’s computer also turned up “nothing that was of value to indicate a motive,” Hastings said.

Arkansas State Police have also concluded their investigation into the pursuit and fatal shooting of Johnson, state police spokesman Bill Sadler said today. The Grant County prosecuting attorney concluded that the use of deadly force against Johnson was justified, Sadler said.

Tags: Arkansas Democratic Party, Bill Gwatney, Lt. Terry Hastings, Timothy Dale Johnson

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