Man Shot Wife, Daughter Before Pursuit

Coroner: Dawn Mims Died Of Gunshot To Head

POSTED: 4:38 am EDT April 27, 2010
UPDATED: 9:18 am EDT April 28, 2010

SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. -- The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office says a 45-year-old man who killed his wife, wounded his stepdaughter, set his house on fire and led officers on a pursuit that shutdown a North Carolina interstate was being guarded in a North Carolina hospital Wednesday.

Authorities said Arthur Duval Mims, from Duncan, drank almost a gallon of bleach before his arrest Tuesday morning. Just hours before, Mims shot his wife, 36-year-old Dawn Mims, and his 16-year-old stepdaughter, deputies said.

Arthur Mims was taken to a Lexington, N.C. hospital, then transferred to the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, Davidson County, N.C., deputies confirmed. Before he was transferred, Mims saw a magistrate in the hospital and was denied bond, they said.

Wednesday morning, Davidson County Sheriff's Deputies confirmed Mims was still hospitalized and under the guard of two deputies. He was in stable condition and alert and talking, according to Maj. Christopher Coble.

Late Tuesday night, Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger released the preliminary cause of Mrs. Mims' death. In a statement, Clevenger said Mrs. Mims died of a gun shot to the head. She was shot more than once and fire did not contribute to her death, Clevenger said.

The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said that the stepdaughter -- along with her sister who was in the house but was not injured -- ran to a neighbor’s house for help. A 911 call was made at about 3:30 a.m. Originally, N.C. troopers said two daughters were shot, but it was later corrected.

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright later said at an afternoon news conference that the wounded girl had a facial injury that appears to be non-life-threatening. The police report said she was wounded in her cheek or ear area.

The neighbor, who lives two houses away, happens to be an off-duty Greenville County Sheriff’s deputy.

"About 3:15 in the morning, we hear our doorbell ringing rapidly. My wife and I look at each other and say, 'what is that? Who's ringing our doorbell?' So I run downstairs. I'm thinking it's probably some kids playing a prank or whatever," Deputy Jason Cassel told WYFF News4's Mike McCormick. "Open the door, there's a young girl standing there and she's telling me, 'Help help, my dad just shot my mom, she's dead up stairs and he's burning the house down.'"

After the teens told him what happened, Cassel, 35, armed himself and ran to the Mims’ home.

Cassel saw Arthur Mims driving away in a white Ford F-150 pickup truck, and he relayed the vehicle description to Spartanburg County dispatchers.

Cassel was joined by a Spartanburg deputy, and together they went into the home on Terrace Creek Drive in Duncan.

Once inside, the deputies saw smoke and realized the house was on fire. They got extinguishers from their vehicles and tried to put the fire out, but were unable to.

The Reidville Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire.

Deputies then found Dawn Mims dead in a bedroom.

A short time later, Arthur Mims was spotted by Cherokee County deputies who pursued him in a high-speed chase. Several law enforcement agencies chased Mims into Davidson County, N.C.

A truck driver at the scene told WYFF News 4 sister station WXII that the suspect passed him and was driving on three tires and a rim for about 15 miles before coming to a stop. Sheriff Chuck Wright confirmed that Mims has a blown tire, but he was not sure if it had been flattened by a stop stick or if it had been shot.

At 8 a.m., the chase ended in a standoff near Lexington, N.C. The truck stopped on the side of the interstate between mile markers 89 and 91. Traffic was stopped in both directions and the backup stretched for miles.

Sky 4 video from over the scene in Lexington showed at least 22 law enforcement vehicles spread out across I-85 near the parked truck. One of the vehicles appeared to be an armored carrier, which was reportedly sent in from High Point police. At least a dozen squad cars had their doors opened, using them as shields.

At about 8:30 a.m., troopers used an armored vehicle to move close to the truck. Mims was believed to have a rifle in the vehicle, troopers said.

Wright said that Mims shot at officers during the standoff. Wright said officers had “the perfect opportunity to kill him” but exercised great restraint.

Davidson County Sheriff David Grice said Mims drank almost a gallon of bleach and was vomiting blood. Grice said a SWAT officer formed a rapport with Mims and helped talk him into surrendering. When Mims got out of the car he asked for water, Grice said.

Mims was taken to Lexington Memorial Hospital. He was described as "stable and alert." A magistrate saw Mims in the hospital. He was denied bond and was transferred to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. He was listed as stable.

Wright said it “looks like he might survive.” He also said drinking bleach is a “bad way to go.”

Wright said that the family had no known history of domestic abuse and they don’t yet know the motive for the shooting.

Mims is charged with murder, assault and battery with intent to kill and arson. He'll also face charges in connection with the pursuit.

South Carolina officers are in Davidson County waiting to transport Mims back to Spartanburg County. If he refuses, he will be taken to Davidson County jail and will appear before a North Carolina judge.

Wright said that the name of the injured teen will not be released.

From: http://www.wyff4.com/news/23274540/detail.html