FORT SMITH (KFSM) -- The man arrested on suspicion of shooting and killing a Fort Smith runner had contemplated suicide prior to the shooting, according to documents and interview videos obtained by 5NEWS.
John Paul Suleski, 25, told investigators he thought about ending his life for two weeks before he killed Brent Morrison as he ran past Suleski's parked car near Wells Lake Road on the morning of July 11, according to an offense report. Suleski also told investigators he had thought about shooting someone during those two weeks, the report states.
Suleski said marital and financial difficulties were weighing heavily on him, according to the report.
In interviews with police, Suleski said he did not shoot Morrison and instead told investigators he knew he was in trouble for shooting at a squirrel, but he did not shoot anybody, the report states.
Suleski later confessed to shooting Morrison, according to the report. He told investigators he was in his black Chevrolet HHR and stated he had previously loaded his .22 caliber rifle with 10 rounds, the report states. Suleski said he put the barrel of the rifle into his mouth and was going to kill himself, but was not able to pull the trigger, according to the report.
In the report, Suleski states he had seen a cyclist ride past his vehicle and that he had contemplated shooting the rider, but did not have time to aim. While he had the barrel of the gun in his mouth, Suleski said he saw Morrison running toward him and he shot him once in the back when he passed Suleski's vehicle, the report states.
After he was shot, Morrison cried out in pain and fell to the ground, according to the report. Suleski told investigators he continued to shoot Morrison after he was on the ground, the report states.
"I shot him in the back and then he turned around, shot him again and again," Suleski tells investigators in a recorded interview.
When they asked him how many times he had shot Morrison, Suleski said he lost count.
The Arkansas State Crime Lab stated they found nine gunshot wounds in Morrison's body, including one to the back of the head.
Suleski said he felt that if he shot someone, his pain would go away, but it did not, according to the report. He returned to his vehicle and thought about shooting himself after the incident, but a man pulled up to the area after noticing Morrison's body in the road, the report states.
Suleski was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and discharging a firearm from a vehicle. His next court date has not been made available.