UPDATE: Mayor In Arkansas Knew Shooter
(AP) - A convicted killer who was out on parole shot and critically wounding an Arkansas mayor who supported his release from prison.
Records obtained by The Associated Press show that Everton Mayor Bill Gerdes (JERR'-duss) wrote that he'd have no problem with Justin Bates returning to the northern Arkansas town if he were released from prison.
Authorities arrested the 35-year-old Bates after the mayor was shot in the back and the left hand on Wednesday evening. Gerdes is in critical condition at a Springfield, Mo., hospital.
Bates was convicted of second-degree murder and served time in the state's prisons until he was paroled last year.
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