Update: More horrible news. Arkansas Democrat Party chairman Bill Gwatney has died of the gunshot wounds.

Statement from the DNC: “Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, DNC Vice Chair Lottie Shackelford, and former mayor of Little Rock, and Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer, the President of the Association of State Democratic Chairs, issued the following statement on the passing of Arkansas Democratic Party Chair Bill Gwatney:

“On behalf of the Democratic Party our thoughts and prayers are with Chairman Gwatney’s family and friends and the extended Democratic family in Arkansas. With this senseless act of violence we have lost a good friend and honorable man. Bill will be remembered for his hard work and dedication to the Party, and he will be sorely missed.”

The suspect was shot and killed.

***

Original post 3:20pm Eastern.

The Arkansas Democrat Party chairman was shot today at his office in a horrible attack and is in critical condition. There is scant information about the unhinged shooter, but it seems he was disgruntled over losing his job. There is no indication of his political affiliations, his ideology, or his motives for singling out the Democrat Party chairman.

No matter. I’m already getting blamed for the incident.

Yeah, I did it:

Greg Cancilla [email protected]

to [email protected]

date Wed, Aug 13, 2008 at 2:42 PM

subject Once again

mailed-by verizon.net

Once again the hate you and folks like Hannity spew has caused another right wing nut to resort to violence. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26181389/ What you do is nothing less than starting a riot and you should be held accountable. You should be in jail. Your hate turns people to murder.

I am also guilty of last month’s shooting at a Knoxville church, for which a nutroots blogger similarly says I need to be held “accountable.”

For what? For blogging, writing columns, and authoring books with which they disagree.

Such stalwart, principled champions of free speech they are.