This week, two distinctly separate yet equally powerful events took place in Columbia County — the return of students to Southern Arkansas University for the fall semester and the tragic shooting deaths of a Mulerider football player and a former SAU student.
Joy and tragedy in equal doses.
By now there are few who don’t know what happened. SAU wide receiver Brandon Hobdy, 23, of Garland, Texas, and former student Wayne Payton, 24, of McNeil were killed early Sunday outside of a back-to-school party at the Veterans of Foreign Wars building near Magnolia. Police were called around 1:13 a.m. about a fight at the “VFW hut” and gunfire was reported while officers were en route. Payton and Hobdy later died of injuries at Magnolia Regional Medical Center.
As of this writing, two arrests have been made: Timothy Johnson, 23, of Camden, was charged Thursday with a terroristic act. Byron Dunn, 20, of Magnolia, was arrested late Monday, also on a charge of terroristic act. Both Dunn and Johnson are being held in lieu of $1 million bonds.
We do not know many other pertinent details. Law enforcement officials were reluctant to provide much in the way of new information at a press conference earlier this week. While this leaves open the door for rumor and speculation, we understand that this is an ongoing investigation. Utmost care must be taken to bring this tragedy to an effective and legally successful resolution.
We stipulated a legal resolution to the tragedy. There is another side to the story, of course, and that is the toll taken on SAU students, faculty, and coaching staff — particularly those who knew Hobdy and were looking forward to the young man having an exceptional year on and off the gridiron.
We believe the SAU family will do as Dr. David Rankin, head football coach Bill Keopple and others urged students Sunday night at a candlelight vigil for the victims: pull together as an even more tightly-knit family than ever before. Keopple said his players would use the season as an opportunity to glorify Hobdy. We do not doubt his word.
Meanwhile, the 2014-2015 school year has begun and we hope the entire community — Magnolia and SAU — will be able to move past the year’s tragic start and find plenty to celebrate. The wheels of justice will grind on, slowly but exactingly. We will remember the victims and look to brighter days.