Body found behind bombed law firm in Dalton identified

DALTON, Ga. — A body has been found behind the law firm where an explosion took place this morning and a police officer saw a man run behind the building just before the explosion, a Dalton Police Department official said.

The body found behind a Dalton, Ga., law office where a bomb exploded this morning is that of a suspect in the bombing, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Lloyd Sylvester Cantrell, 78, of 1180 Beaverdale Road in Whitfield County.

Authorities said he tried to ram the law office with his SUV, but was unsuccessful, so he then ran around behind the building and detonated a bomb of some type.

At a news conference, Mr. Frazier said someone at the law firm made a 911 call reporting a disturbance before the blast. A nearby officer saw someone run behind the building at 411 Crawford St. before the explosion.

He said firefighters have gone into the building after the U. S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent a robot inside.

Also, a spokeswoman at Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton said one of four people burned when the explosive device detonated shortly after 9 a.m. will be taken to a burn hospital in Augusta, Ga. The spokeswoman would not confirm the victim’s identity.

She said four other people who were burned were in stable condition, but she would not confirm their names.

Dalton Police Department spokesman Bruce Frazier said earlier today it’s “not possible” the suspect is on the loose.

Witnesses near the bombing scene said a blast shook the building between 9:15 and 9:30 this morning. Police said employees were in a meeting and they didn’t know whether anyone else remained in the building.

Children at nearby Park City School are all safe but the school is on lockdown and police told parents not to try to come pick them up. The children will be moved later to First Baptist Church and parents will be notified when they can pick up their children.

Mr. Frazier said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and bomb investigators are assisting with the case.

He said downtown streets around Thornton and Crawford streets are closed and advised motorists to use alternate routes.

Local records show the McCamy, Phillips, Tuggle and Fordham firm specializes in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. The firm was established in 1932 and got its start representing local government and businesses involved in the carpet industry.

See tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press for full coverage of this story as well as a special front page and four-page section for our North Georgia readers covering this tragic event in their community.