Suspect Dead, 4 Hurt In Ga. Law Firm Blast

Police Say Explosion Followed Altercation At North Georgia Office

(AP)  A man suspected of setting off an explosion Friday at a small-town law firm in northern Georgia died in the blast that also injured four people at the office, authorities said.

Police were called to a disturbance at the firm just before the explosion. An officer arrived and saw a man get out of a sport utility vehicle and run behind the building. The explosion followed, Dalton police Lt. Bruce Frazier said. It wasn't clear whether an explosive device was planted or was on the suspect, Frazier said.

An attorney at the firm who left the office just before the blast said employees told him they saw a man trying to drive his vehicle into the building and locked the doors. Investigators were searching the 71-year-old suspect's house and thought there might be a bomb in his vehicle at the scene, Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead said. The suspect's name was not immediately released.

Witnesses said windows were blown out at McCamy, Phillips, Tuggle & Fordham in Dalton, 26 miles southeast of Chattanooga, Tenn.

The building was still on fire more than four hours after the initial explosion, and officials were waiting for firefighters to get the blaze under control before searching the truck and the building, Bankhead said.

"Our primary focus right now is just getting the fire out because it's a crime scene, and we obviously want to get as much evidence as possible out of there," Frazier said.

Two of the injured were treated at a hospital and released, one was admitted and a fourth was taken to a burn center.

Attorney Robert Smalley, a lawyer at the firm, left 15 to 20 minutes before the blast but turned back when he received phone calls about it.

He said those injured were his assistant, Teresa Stinnett, attorney Jim Phillips and two clients. Phillips was taken to the burn center.

"We'll take today with our families and try to regroup," he said "Our thoughts right now are with the injured and their families."

He said Stinnett has a shoulder injury but is going to be OK. Smalley said he was able to visit with Phillips after the explosion.

The eight-lawyer firm, founded in 1932, works out of a two-story, colonial-style house. Police cordoned off the block and shut down a post office near the law firm, which specializes in personal injury and wrongful death cases, according to its Web site.

Students at an elementary school across the street were evacuated to a nearby church.

[nurse70-2009]

ONCE AGAIN LET''S BLAME EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY BUT THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE !! THAT IS WHAT''S WRONG THIS THIS COUNTRY... LACK OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBLITY !! IF YOU DO IT , YOU OWN IT . REGARDLESS OF THE CAUSE. LET''S ALL GROW UP AND LEARN TO ACCEPT OUR ACTIONS AND PAY THE CONSEQUENCES IF DUE.

[nurse70-2009]

bm6005 ..... DOES bm STAND FOR BOWEL MOVEMENT ?

[zwaggsy]

To shawn197829.

Nice to see someone with empathy & common sense!

Too few in century.

[shawn197829]

First I would like to say that this was not an act of terroism, and has nothing to do with a presidental race. The second thing I wanted to point out is the fact of someone on this board saying the following "Ole Satan, whose only mission is to KILL, STEAL & DESTROY came with his evil spirit in the mind of a Republican nutcase in an "all" republican town...MAD because he lost his land and his job!"

I live in Dalton, Georgia and hate to tell you that this is not an all republican town as you state. A big percentage of citizens here are hispanic, and a lot of people are voting for Obama; but what does this have to do with what happened? I really wish people would clearly think about things that come out of their mouth before they make idiotic statements that not only make them look stupid, but also does their so called canidate no good either.

The last thing I want to do is get the story straight, the man''s name is lloyd Cantrell, he was around 79 years old, and in a court battle with his son for his 90 acre''s of property. I am just saying that you should have all facts before making assumptions that belittle your intelligence level.

[bm6005]

You right wingers here are really desperate. Repeat after me "President Obama". Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,...... suck it up MORONs!

[bm6005]

OH...and tell me that YOU WERE NOT on the Cheney story yesterday, saying that you wish he would die from his heart condition...
Posted by DaVicar1

I was and I did!!! SFW!!

[baracky]

This was senseless but Bill Ayers fought to bring COMMUNISM to prominence. Today the legitimate MR AYERS has Barack to do his agenda proud !

[girl143867]

All your posts are idiotic. Maybe the alleged bomber was unhappy with this firm and the way they handled a case of involving him. This is probably just a sad case of a older member of society who possibly had dementia and did not get the care or help he needed from his doctor, attorney, family, friends and/or neighbors. Its shameful how we treat our elderly and has nothing to do with Obama or McCain or any terrorist plot.

[rudy654-2009]

There was no freaking way to know that right after 9/11/01. They should have been held until the investigation cleared them but since they''''re Jr. buddies they were let go. Posted by closethippy1 at 06:07 PM

Excellent point.

[closethippy1]

Number of deaths Ayers is responsible for: 0.
Posted by closethippy1
cLOSETOTHE HIP, Sorry pal. Two Police officers were killed by the TERRORIST BILL AYERS group, The WEATHERMAN.
Posted by dutchiehaley at 04:13 PM : Oct 17, 2008
Two, eh? So, are you going to answer my question or what?
Posted by closethippy1
The Bin Laden family is responsible for 0 deaths so there was no reason to hold them.
Posted by Latrocinor at 05:14 PM : Oct 17, 2008

There was no freaking way to know that right after 9/11/01. They should have been held until the investigation cleared them but since they''re Jr. buddies they were let go.
Ayers, by the way, is not responsible for killing anyone just like the Bin Laden family. After the Weather Underground broke up two of its memebers went on to belong to another group that was responsible for some robbery where two police officers died.
But go ahead guys make up your own stories because you gotta be really hurting to see Obama become our next president. Hide in your own world and have fun, will ya?

[susanhelit]

Irrelevant to this story - but I''ll answer. Even Fox news agrees - Ayers killed no one - let alone two police officers. His group had a bomb blow up and kill their own members - but they killed no one. They sent warnings to try to avoid that. Very different from, let''s say, G. Gordon Libby (McCain''s good friend), who planned to kill a reporter, and has recently advocated people shooting federal agents in the head.

[latrocinor-2009]

Number of deaths Ayers is responsible for: 0.
Posted by closethippy1

cLOSETOTHE HIP, Sorry pal. Two Police officers were killed by the TERRORIST BILL AYERS group, The WEATHERMAN.
Posted by dutchiehaley at 04:13 PM : Oct 17, 2008


Two, eh? So, are you going to answer my question or what?
Posted by closethippy1

The Bin Laden family is responsible for 0 deaths so there was no reason to hold them.

[edward1975-2009]

This 71 yr old might be on to something. Could be a good trend.LMAO

[bailmeout1]

The bomber probably disagreed with something. Thats ok, if he didnt die he could have become a professor.

[dutchiehaley]

closetohipp, Nope. I''m not going to answer. I think you should ask the relatives of the two MURDERED Police officers what they think about BARRYS BUDDY William Ayers.

[closethippy1]

cLOSETOTHE HIP, Sorry pal. Two Police officers were killed by the TERRORIST BILL AYERS group, The WEATHERMAN.
Posted by dutchiehaley at 04:13 PM : Oct 17, 2008

Two, eh? So, are you going to answer my question or what?

[dutchiehaley]

I don''t think the FBI is too concerned with John McCain''s best friend Joe Liebermann on this one. But William Ayers? I''d talk to him.

[usclimey]

OH...and tell me that YOU WERE NOT on the Cheney story yesterday, saying that you wish he would die from his heart condition...

Posted by DaVicar1

I think I made some sort of comment about God having a sense of humor, but I have not ever made a joke about someone dying on these blogs.

[dutchiehaley]

Where was WILLIAM AYERS AND BERNADINE when the bomb went off? They better talk to those two.

[closethippy1]

Talking about bombings and having the wrong friends, if Obama is wrong for having worked with Ayers what is one to think of Bush for having worked with the Bin Laden family and letting them leave the country before the 9/11 terror attack was investigated?
Number of deaths Bin Laden is responsible for: 3000+.
Number of deaths Ayers is responsible for: 0.