Son Had Tried to Commit Suicide-Bomber Who Critically Injured Ga. Lawyer
The son of a suicide bomber who critically injured a name partner of a Georgia law firm said he tried to have his father involuntarily hospitalized, without success.
The bomber, Lloyd Cantrell, killed himself and critically injured Dalton lawyer James Phillips. Cantrell’s youngest son, Bruce Cantrell, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Phillips was a family friend and his father had targeted him because of perceived slights that were only in his mind.
Cantrell said he had tried to have his father involuntarily hospitalized, but he could not meet the required standards. Other reports had said Lloyd Cantrell was angry because Phillips had represented Bruce Cantrell in a property dispute with his father.
Bruce Cantrell said that when he heard initial reports of the bombing, he didn’t realize his father had died and he feared he would be his next target. He said he hid in the woods and called police to pick him up for protection.
Phillips remained in critical condition and was expected to be hospitalized in a burn unit in Augusta for at least another month. His pastor told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Phillips still had a good sense of humor, joking that he needed to tell the church’s music director that he wouldn’t be able to sing in the choir on Sunday.
The blast also injured a legal assistant and two clients at the law firm McCamy, Phillips, Tuggle & Fordham, the Chattanoogan reported. The city of Dalton has offered the law firm temporary space at city hall so it can continue operating, the Associated Press reports.
