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A city councilmember in Virginia was set on fire by a man who had entered a local magazine’s office through a locked door, authorities said Wednesday.
Lee Vogler, 38, ran through the building covered in gasoline in an attack the investigators say stemmed from a “personal matter” that was unrelated to his politics or work as councilman, authorities said.
He is an elected official in Danville, Virginia.
Police say the suspect entered Vogler’s office, where he works at a local magazine, confronted him and doused him in flammable liquid. Both men then left the building and the 29-year-old suspect set Vogler on fire, police said.
His condition wasn’t immediately known. The suspect, Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes of Danville, was in police custody. Police said charges were pending, and it wasn’t immediately known whether Hayes had a lawyer who could comment.
The attack occurred at the office of Showcase Magazine, a monthly publication on southwest Virginia and North Carolina, magazine owner and publisher Andrew Brooks said.
Brooks said there were two employees at the magazine’s office at the time. The other employee called Brooks and told him what happened.
“Our door is locked,” Brooks told The Associated Press. “They forced their way into the office, and went to Lee. The next thing, Lee is running through the office covered in gasoline, yelling for our officemate to call 911. The guy chased him outside and set him on fire.
“There is no justification for lashing out,” he said. “There is no amount pain you can be under that can justify you inflicting violence on others.”.
Elected officials and politicians throughout Virginia quickly condemned the attack.
“I know Lee Vogler. He is a good friend and an even greater city councilman for Danville,” Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a statement speaking out against violence.
Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, both vying to be Virginia’s next governor, released statements that they were praying for Vogler.
Brooks said he had no indication that Vogler felt unsafe at work or elsewhere. Vogler is a salesperson at the magazine, though at the small-city media company, everyone does a bit a bit of everything.
“He makes sales, but he also writes stories about our community,” Brooks said.
Brooks said that comes naturally to Vogler.
“His passion is being on the city council,” Brooks said. “He loves when people call them with a concern that he can help them with, and he has been an asset to the community for much of his adult life. He was young when he got on city council, early 20s. He has made that his life.”
Brooks said outside of work, Vogler is dedicated parent to his two kids.
“He’s the one who coaches their sports teams,” Brooks said.
Vogler has served on the Danville City council for more than 12 years and is currently serving his 4th term. He’s married with two children. Vogler is a managing partner at the Andrew Brooks Media Group, a marketing firm that publishes several regional magazines and operates a branded merchandise website and a music publishing company, according to its website.
He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2010 and returned to his hometown to run for office. He formed a group in 2010 called Moving Danville Forward, to come up with ideas to revitalize the city.
Danville is about 140 miles (227 kilometers) north of Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Diaz reported from Richmond, Virginia. Associated Press writer John Raby contributed from Charleston, West Virginia.
