Table of Contents
A suspect was arrested after Virginia’s local politician Lee Vogler was burnt down on Wednesday at his workplace, and the police said the attack follows from a personal affair.
Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, 29, was arrested on Wednesday and accused of attempted murder in the first degree and aggravated malicious injuries, according to ABC 13 in Virginia, after the attack on Vogler, a municipal councilor in Danville.
Hayes is detained in Danville City prison without deposit.
The context
The police responded around 11:30 am after Vogler was sprayed with a flammable liquid and set fire, said the Danville police service.
He was transported by plane to a regional hospital where he recovered, according to the local press.
Hayes fled the premises but was arrested nearby. Police said the assault was not politically motivated.
AP Photo / Allen G. Race
What to know
Hayes is a Danville resident. The police said that Hayes and Vogler were known to each other and had engaged in a personal dispute.
We think that a photo on a Facebook account belonging to a Mary Alice Hayes shows the suspect with his wife. The pair married in September 2023 in Ruffin, in North Carolina, according to their wedding website.
What people say
The Danville police department said in a statement: “On the basis of the investigation at the time of this release, the victim and the suspect are known to each other and the attack stems from a personal affair which is not linked to the position of the victim to the municipal council of Danville or to any other political affiliation.”
Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a Facebook statement: “Our prayers go to the Danville municipal councilor, Lee Vogler, who was violently attacked in his workplace earlier in the day. We pray for a rapid recovery so that Lee and Peace are throughout the community of Danville.”
The mayor of Danville, Alonzo Jones, said in a statement: “Today, our community has been shaken by an unthinkable act of violence against the municipal councilor Lee Vogler – our colleague, our friend and someone who we care about. Lee is a member of our family of municipal councils. And today, this family suffers.”
The declaration continued: “Our prayers are with Lee and his relatives. We are grateful to our first stakeholders and the police for their rapid action. Our advice is close. We have resolved the challenges together – and now we are faced with this sorrow.
What happens next
Hayes is detained in Danville City prison without deposit.
