Arizona: In an alarming development, shots were fired at US Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign office in Arizona, according to police, just a week after a second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Damage from several bullets, fired sometime after midnight on Monday, was discovered at the Democratic National Committee campaign office in Tempe, the police told the New York Post.
“No one was inside the office during the overnight hours, but this raises concerns about the safety of those who work in that building, as well as those nearby,” said Public Information Officer Sergeant Ryan Cook. Detectives are currently analyzing evidence collected at the scene, and additional measures have been taken to beef up security for staff and others in the area.
Tempe police said in an emailed statement on Tuesday this is the second time criminal damage occurred at the office and that the front windows were shot with what appeared to be a BB or pellet gun just after midnight on September 16. Harris is set to make a campaign stop in the swing state on Friday, multiple outlets reported. The issue came to light after staff workers arrived on Monday and reported gunshots through the front windows.
What did Kamala Harris say on the incident?
While Kamala Harris has not made any public comment on the issue, her campaign told Axios that no one was injured. "We are grateful to Tempe Police for coming quickly to the scene and are fortunate no one was present or injured," said Sean McEnerney, Arizona Democratic Party coordinated campaign manager.
Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Yolanda Bejarano said in a statement that it was "extremely sad that the Arizona Democratic Party has become the target of violence – it’s not who we are as Arizonans or Americans." Notably, this came a week after a second assassination attempt on Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course on September 15.
Ryan Routh was arrested on September 15 after a Secret Service agent who was scoping the Trump International Golf Club for potential security threats saw a partially obscured man's face and the barrel of a semiautomatic rifle, aimed directly at the former president. The agent fired at Routh, who sped away before being stopped by officials in a neighboring county, leaving behind a loaded rifle, digital camera, a backpack and a reusable shopping bag that was hanging from a chain-link fence.
Prosecutors have said Ryan Routh left behind a note detailing his plans to kill the former president and kept in his car a handwritten list of dates and venues where Trump was to appear. The note describing Routh's plans was placed in a box that he dropped off months earlier at the home of an unidentified person who did not open it until after Ryan Routh's arrest, prosecutors said.
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