A Virginia city councilman was set on fire Wednesday at his office, over what police called a “personal matter.”
Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler, 38, has been airlifted to a medical center for treatment, according to the Danville Police Department. Police responded around 11:30 a.m. to the offices of Showcase Magazine, a local publication where Vogler is employed, after a caller reported that a man had been set on fire.
Witnesses told police the attacker entered the building, confronted Vogler and poured a “flammable liquid” on the Republican councilman. They both exited the building, at which point the suspected attacker set Vogler on fire, police said.
The suspected attacker fled the scene in a car, witnesses told police. Investigators found the car that witnesses described a few blocks away. Police identified the car’s driver, 29-year-old Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, as a suspect in the attack. He is now in police custody.
Showcase Magazine publisher Andrew Brooks posted a Facebook video recounting the incident.
“An individual forced his way into our office carrying a five-gallon bucket of gasoline and poured the gasoline on Lee,” Brooks said. “Lee attempted to flee, ran to the front of the building. The individual followed him and set him on fire.”
Vogler was awake and talking as he was transported to a nearby burn treatment center in Lynchburg, Brooks said.
“This type of senseless act of violence has to stop,” he added. “You do not have the right as a human being to get upset with someone enough to lash out and attempt to harm them in any way, much less this way.”
Vogler and Hayes know each other, according to the Danville Police Department. Vogler also identified his attacker as “Shotsie Buck,” according to Brooks.
The attack stemmed from “a personal matter not related to the victim’s position on Danville City Council or any other political affiliation,” police said.
Vogler was first elected to the Danville City Council in May 2012 at 24 years old, making him the youngest-ever person to hold the office, according to his biography on the city’s website.
Vogler is a Danville native and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2010 with a degree in political science. He is a member of the Danville Kiwanis Club, a local chapter of the international community service organization.
He is also a member of the Virginia Young Republicans, according to a statement from the organization.
“We are shocked by the horrific attack on our friend & fellow young Republican, Danville Councilman Lee Vogler,” the statement reads. “Please join us in praying for Lee, his family & the entire Danville community. We condemn this senseless act of violence and stand united with him.”
Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones described the attack as an “unthinkable act of violence,” according to local outlet WBTM.
“Our Council is close. We’ve worked through challenges together—and now, we face this heartbreak together,” Jones said. “Please continue to pray for Lee and his family. We’re standing with him—and with each other.”
The city councilman is in his fourth term after winning his re-election bid in November. Vogler is married, and the pair have two children, according to his re-election campaign website.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.