A closed door inside the residence of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro played a key role in helping secure him and his family after an arsonist attempted to ignite the property and potentially beat the Democratic politician.
Concretely, Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterline said that, had the door been open, “it would have definitely put the governor at even greater risk” as it helped contain flames and give Shapiro and his family more time to evacuate.
Investigators revealed on Monday that 38-year-old Cody Balmer was largely motivated by financial issues. He used Molotov cocktails to start the fire, the criminal complaint against him detailed, throwing them inside the mansion after breaking a window with a hammer. He also told authorities he was planning on beating Shapiro with the tool had he ran into him. Balmer is now facing several charges, including attempted murder, arson, burglary and terrorism intended to coerce “the conduct of a government.”
The fire significantly damaged the residence’s grand room, with Enterline estimating damages could amount to millions of dollars.
Shapiro addressed the incident on Sunday, saying the attack was “not just on our family, but on the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” “This kind of violence has become far too common in our society, and it has to stop,” he added.
President Donald Trump was silent on the matter for over a day. When asked about the matter, he initially said he didn’t know about the attempt. “I just heard about it, I have to look into it,” Trump told press aboard the Air Force One. He later dismissed the incident, saying the suspect is “not a fan” of him and described him as “probably just a whack job.”
“I understand, just from what I read and from what I’ve been told, the attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody. It’s probably just a whack job and certainly a thing like that can not be allowed to happen.”
Originally published on Latin Times
