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By Steve Huff in assault, unsolved
Wednesday, Feb. 4 2009 @ 9:26PM

An early, comprehensive news report from WMC Television in Memphis about the explosion that critically injured Dr. Trent P. Pierce. When this was broadcast, police still thought the explosion might be accidental.

At first, it looked like an accident. Perhaps Dr. Trent P. Pierce's hybrid Lexus had some sort of fault or malfunction. Perhaps that malfunction caused the vehicle to explode around 8 a.m. CST on Wednesday, critically injuring the well-liked physician. As the day progressed, however, it became clear that that the Chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board was the victim of foul play. Someone planted a bomb in Trent Pierce's car.

Several hours after Pierce was airlifted to a Memphis hospital for emergency surgery, investigators say they found the remains of an explosive device close to the front of Pierce's Lexus.

West Memphis Police Chief Bob Paudert didn't mince words when he spoke to the press about the explosion that nearly killed the man who was also his own personal physician: "It was a terrorist attack on Dr. Pierce."

As of Wednesday evening there were no suspects in the case, and more than one federal agency was involved in the investigation.

Dr. Pierce was a family practitioner and his specialty was asthma. A survey of news stories about this morning's bomb attack as well as articles found in newspaper databases revealed nothing controversial. Only an Arkansas Supreme Court decision published January 22 this year [PDF] even hinted at any problems for Dr. Pierce. Fox News reported on the case:

The lawsuit was brought by the estate of a deceased woman, Norma Louise Ramsey, against Pierce, a senior citizens' medical facility company called Golden Living -- formerly known as Beverly Enterprises -- the Memphis Dermatology Clinic and other defendants.

Ramsey was 92 years old when she died in July 2004, according to her obituary in The Arkansas Democrat Gazette. There was no cause of death given.

In 2005, the state of Arkansas paid $1.5 million to settle 26 lawsuits brought against Beverly Enterprises. The suits stemmed from allegations of mistreatment and neglect of residents at 12 of its nursing homes.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the lawsuit naming Pierce as a co-defendant with Beverly Enterprises was among the 26 abuse cases. His medical license is listed as active.

The January 22 decision agreed with Dr. Pierce's motion to dismiss the Ramsey Estate's appeal in the case.

Was Trent P. Pierce targeted for reasons that just haven't been made public yet?

Or was he the victim of a random bomber?

The second question will determine how much more you hear about this case. If the answer to the latter question is yes, Chief Bob Paudert's declaration about a "terrorist attack" won't seem like so much hyperbole, anymore.