HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- A 'gutsy' young woman hostage helped disarm a junior college student to end his wild, 125-mile flight from the classroom where he had shot and killed his teacher and another student.
Kelvin Ray Love, a data processing student reportedly having trouble with his studies at Garland Community College, was arrested Monday at a police roadblock where he crashed his hostage's car.
The hostage, classmate Carrie Loy, 18, escaped unharmed and Love, 26, was charged with murder and kidnapping.
'A terrible, terrible thing,' said Gerald Fisher, president of the college. 'These two men who were killed were fine people. We think the student was shot accidentally. We really just don't know much.'
William 'Buddy' Putman, 38, head of the data processing department at the two-year college, and Donald Schamp, 34, of Hot Springs, a business administration major, were both shot in the head.
A witness told authorities Love was waiting in line to work at a computer terminal when Putman asked to speak to him about his grades. Putman started walking toward his office, Love pulled a .357-magnum revolver and 'all of a sudden there was a shot,' said a spokesman for the Garland County Sheriff's Office.
'Putman ran for his office,' the spokesman said. 'The Love subject followed him to the doorway and fired two more times. Putman dove underneath his desk and the witnesses said they began leaving the room. They said there were two or three more shots.'
Witness Mike Estright, 25, said Schamp had just offered to let Love use his computer terminal when the firing began. Estright said he saw two more flashes, then saw Love put his arm around Miss Loy's shoulder and hold a gun to her ribs.
Love, who was also armed with a knife, fled with Miss Loy in her car, and police statewide were notified.
Mena Police Chief Don Allen, 100 miles west of Hot Springs, spotted the car driving at speeds up to 75 miles mph and Love was chased to a roadblock at Hatton, 25 miles to the south.
During the chase Love fired several shots at the patrol cars, but no one was hit, Allen said.
Love smashed through the roadblock and tried to continue, but 'he'd blown the engine and the left front tire was completely off the rim,' Allen said.
The car finally rolled to a stop, straddling the centerline of the highway.
Polk County Sheriff Al Hadaway spoke to Love through a loudspeaker and persuaded him to give up his gun. Miss Loy -- a 'gutsy young lady,' Allen said -- somehow got Love's knife and tossed it out the window of the car.
Miss Loy's father said late Monday she was staying with relatives and was too upset to speak with reporters.
Love, who moved from Little Rock to Hot Springs several years ago, was a full-time data processing student, college spokesman Larry Bracken said. He also had attended Wayne County Community College in Detroit and a vocational technical school in Hot Springs.
Putman, a father of two, had previously worked for the city of Hot Springs and for a construction company. He began teaching at Garland County college two years ago.
Fisher said classes had been canceled until further notice.
