Virginia city councilman set on fire in workplace attack; suspect charged with attempted murder

DANVILLE, Va. (AP) — A city councilman in Virginia was seriously injured Wednesday when a man stormed into his office at a local magazine, doused him in gasoline and set him on fire — an attack that authorities say was rooted in a personal dispute, not politics.

Lee Vogler, 38, who has served on the Danville City Council for more than a decade, was taken by medical helicopter to a burn unit in North Carolina after the attack. Police said the assailant, 29-year-old Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, forced his way into Vogler’s office at Showcase Magazine, confronted him, then chased him outside and set him ablaze.

Hayes was arrested at the scene on charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding.

Investigators stressed that the motive appeared personal and unrelated to Vogler’s work as a public official. Still, the assault added to growing unease over violence and harassment aimed at elected officials across the country, particularly as the boundaries blur between their public roles and private lives.

“There is no justification for lashing out,” said Andrew Scott Brooks, publisher of the magazine. “This type of act of senseless violence needs to stop.”

Two employees were in the building when the attack occurred, Brooks said. According to police and witnesses, Vogler ran through the office yelling for help after being doused in gasoline. A colleague called for help as Hayes chased Vogler outside and ignited the fire, the publisher said.

“Our door is locked,” Brooks said. “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.”

Hayes was being held without bond in the Danville City Jail, police said. A message left with a phone number listed for the suspect wasn’t immediately returned. A message was left with the Danville Public Defender Office asking whether they will be representing the suspect.

Showcase Magazine is a monthly publication about southwest Virginia and North Carolina. The magazine shares a small two-story building with several other businesses in Danville.

A woman who answered the door at the Vogler residence and identified herself as the sister of Vogler’s wife declined to comment. A man at an address listed for Hayes also declined comment.

Elected officials and politicians throughout Virginia quickly condemned the attack.

“Our prayers go out to Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler who was violently attacked at his workplace earlier today,” Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement. “We pray for a swift recovery for Lee and for peace to be on the entire Danville community.”

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.

Danville is about 140 miles (227 kilometers) north of Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Diaz reported from Richmond, Virginia. Associated Press writers Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia, Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, North Carolina, and John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed to this report.