Dec 11 2015

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Gun buyer, gunman linked by possible previous plot./SEE A11

VOL. 112 • NO. 345 • 28 PAGES

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The Voice contestant draws watch parties in Jonesboro. See A8

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December 11, 2015

Copyright ©2015 TheJonesboroSun

Gunman terrorizes ASU Standoff ends with no shots fired Thursday afternoon’s altercation ended without injury. In the crosshairs of dozens of police officers, Bartelt threw his shotgun Bartelt down in surrender on the front lawn of the Arkansas State University student union after an hour-long standoff with police. No shots were fired, and no one was injured. Bartelt’s motive remained a

BY HUNTER FIELD Sun Staff Writer hfield@jonesborosun.com

JONESBORO — Hours before a mentally distraught man stormed onto Arkansas State University’s campus with a loaded shotgun, police officers visited him at his Jonesboro home. Brad Kenneth Bartelt, 47, 1007 Hall St., posted on his Facebook page Wednesday afternoon that he was “suicidal” and “homicidal,” prompting a welfare check from the Jonesboro Police Department that same evening. Fortunately for A-State,

mystery Thursday night. His Facebook page, however, portrayed a man who was going through legal, medical and relationship troubles. JPD Chief Rick Elliott deduced the same following the confrontation, which sent ASU students and faculty into a collective panic. “This man has mental issues,” the police chief said. “He’s distraught over something.” Bartelt ramped his green Chevrolet truck, loaded with a can of gasoline and a 100-pound propane tank, onto the student

Stan Morris | The Sun

Please see GUNMAN | A2

Jonesboro police apprehend Brad Bartelt after a standoff Thursday on the campus of Arkansas State University.

Witnesses describe incident BY SARAH MORRIS AND STAN MORRIS Sun Staff Writers smorris@jonesborosun.com stan@jonesborosun.com

JONESBORO — “If he wanted to kill somebody, it could have been me.” Jordan Sheets, 20, had just walked outside of Arkansas State University’s student union Thursday when a man later identified as Brad Kenneth Bartelt drove his truck onto the student union lawn, did doughnuts and then got out. “He had the gun behind the door, and I could only see the barrel,” said the sophomore radiology major of Carlisle. “He told us to get out of the area. It was personal, and he did not want innocent lives taken. “We said ‘OK,’ and left,” he added. “We told people to get back and called police.” Hours later, Sheets said he wasn’t scared at first, but it later

Hunter Field | The Sun

Please see WITNESSES | A2

Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliott (right) and Arkansas State University Police Chief Randy Martin discuss how to handle the gunman at A-State’s Jonesboro campus Thursday afternoon. Police arrested Brad Kenneth Bartelt without incident, and no one was hurt.

Community objects to Trump’s remarks

People of NEA Katie Gilmore, Swifton

BY WILL BOWDEN Sun Staff Writer wbowden@jonesborosun.com

JONESBORO — Inflammatory statements and suspicion are nothing new, a Jonesboro Muslim said about Donald Trump’s comments about banning Muslim immigrants. “It’s hurtful, but I’m not really surprised at the response,” said 28-year-old Yandi, an Indonesian immigrant. “It’s something we talk about a lot. Many of us go back and forth between the country and want to know what this will mean for us.” Yandi declined to provide his last name because he was concerned about backlash. “It’s a hard subject to talk with people about because so much is presumed about who you are and what you believe,” he said. “I know that Muslims in this community love the United States.” Trump’s comments were made following the San Bernardino, Calif., shooting that was carried out by a husband and wife later identified by the Please see TRUMP | A2

TODAY’S WEATHER A 20 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 71.

Staci Vandagriff | The Sun

“I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in radiologic sciences with an emphasis in diagnostic medical sonography at 20 years old,” Katie Gilmore said. “I went to college on orientation day and already had 40 hours of credit from high school. They said I had to pick a major so I randomly picked one. It usually takes four years, but I got it done in two and a half by taking extra classes. I took classes at both ASUJonesboro and ASUNewport and had 21 hours a semester so I could graduate early. I’m looking for a job now, but the market isn’t that good here. I’d like to work at a clinic with good hours.”

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