Shooting at Heber Springs shop kills one; wife hurt

Suspect arrested after police chase

David Hammonds, 58, could be traveling in a gray or silver 2009 Dodge 1-ton flatbed truck, according to the Heber Springs Police Department.
David Hammonds, 58, could be traveling in a gray or silver 2009 Dodge 1-ton flatbed truck, according to the Heber Springs Police Department.

HEBER SPRINGS -- Although the fluorescent "Open" sign was still on, the doors to The Print Shop in Heber Springs were locked Friday after a double shooting at the store the day before.

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Owners Candace and Charlie Johnson were shot about noon Thursday. Charlie Johnson, 65, died of gunshot wounds later Thursday, and his wife, Candace Johnson, 62, was still in the hospital, according to an Arkansas State Police news release sent Friday afternoon.

Jay Harrison, who owns the jeweler's shop next door, said he was eating lunch when he heard some bangs and then a vehicle speed away.

Strange noises coming out of The Print Shop, on Arkansas 25, are common, Harrison said, so he didn't think much about it until his customer, who works at the day care center on the other side of The Print Shop, got a text message that said something was wrong.

Harrison said he has been at the jewelry store for the past 10 years and has seen the Johnsons every day. But he didn't see them Thursday until paramedics were carrying them out.

"I did see them carry both people out, and Ms. Candy [Candace Johnson] had a respirator on," Harrison said. "Mr. Charlie [Johnson] didn't."

Police arrived on the scene and began investigating.

Harrison said area businesses closed down after the shooting, and although he did not officially close his store for the day, the yellow crime scene tape was tied to his door, so no one came in.

"I bet you people called me a thousand times asking what was going on," he said to a reporter.

Police identified David Hammonds, 58, as a suspect. Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies searched for Hammonds until about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, when an officer spotted him in Swifton, a town about 80 miles northeast of Heber Springs, according to the state police news release.

A local officer reported that he was behind a flatbed truck that matched the description of Hammonds' vehicle, according to the news release.

Police reported that they were pursuing the late-model Dodge a few minutes later. The chase ended at 10:08 p.m. when Hammonds lost control and wrecked the truck north of Bald Knob, about 50 miles southwest of Swifton.

Hammonds was quickly arrested, according to the news release.

He was being held on charges of capital murder, first-degree battery and commercial burglary, according to the news release.

Harrison said the Johnsons were a "tight family," and spent lots of time with their children and grandchildren at the shop. He said they liked to work outside on the landscaping around the shop, pruning the bushes.

Charles Johnson was also a volunteer fire captain at the Tumbling Shoals/Ida Fire Department, according to a statement on the department Facebook page Friday.

"It's tragic," Harrison said. "It's really hard to believe in Heber."

Metro on 07/02/2016

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