Fire set at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home is the latest in a string of political violence
Fire set at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home is the latest in a string of political violence
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro angrily called for an end to rising political violence just hours after a man broke into the governor’s mansion and set it on fire, forcing Shapiro and his family to flee into the night.
It was the latest in a string of partisan political attacks in the United States.
“This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society. And I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one particular side or the other,” Shapiro said. “It has to stop.”
While police have not said what might have motivated the attack early Sunday, court documents say the suspect admitted he hated Shapiro and was plotting to beat him with a hammer.
“The attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody,” President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday. “And certainly, a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen.”
Here’s a look at other outbursts of political violence around the country in recent years:
Elon Musk’s Tesla properties set ablaze
In recent months, Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company has become a target since President Donald Trump put Musk in charge of slashing government spending. Cybertrucks have been torched, and bullets and Molotov cocktails have been aimed at Tesla showrooms.
Trump assassination attempts
At a Pennsylvania campaign rally in July, Trump was grazed on the ear by one of a hail of bullets fired by a gunman, fatally shooting one Trump supporter and badly wounding two others, before police killed him. Then in September, a man with a rifle apparently plotted to kill Trump but was discovered in some shrubbery near the presidents’ golf course in Florida and arrested by Secret Service agents.
New Mexico Republican headquarters torched
In March, a fire damaged the entryway to the New Mexico Republican Party headquarters and was being being investigated as arson. Incendiary materials were found on the scene and spray paint on the side of the building read “ICE=KKK,” an apparent reference to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has ramped up deportation efforts against people living in the country illegally.
Democratic National Committee office shot up
A volley of BB pellets and gunshots were fired at the glass front door and a window of a Democratic National Committee office in Arizona on three separate occasions last fall. Authorities said a man later arrested had more than 120 guns and over 250,000 rounds of ammunition in his home.
Nancy Pelosi’s husband attacked at home
Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was bludgeoned with a hammer by a man who broke into their San Francisco home in 2022. The man later admitted during trial testimony that he planned to hold the speaker hostage and that his plan was to end what he viewed as government corruption.
Candidate for Louisville mayor targeted
Current Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, a Democrat, was the target of a shooting attempt at his campaign headquarters on Feb. 14, 2022 but was uninjured, although a bullet grazed the sweater he was wearing. The man who shot him was later convicted and sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison.
Capitol stormed on Jan. 6, 2021
Extremist groups carried out an unprecedented assault on the nation’s democracy by storming the U.S. Capitol to protest the 2020 presidential election results and Trump’s defeat. After winning back the White House, Trump issued a sweeping grant of clemency to all 1,500-plus people charged in the Capitol riot.
Plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor
Anti-government extremists were arrested in 2020 in what authorities said was a plot to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home and start a civil war. Two men portrayed as the leaders were convicted of conspiracy two years later.
Shooting at Republican baseball practice
An attacker opened fire with a rifle on Republican lawmakers practicing for a charity baseball game in 2017 in northern Virginia, critically wounding U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana. Authorities said the shooter, who was killed by police, was fueled by rage against Trump and GOP legislators.
By JOHN SEEWER
Associated Press
