Pennsylvania arson suspect says he wanted to beat Governor Josh Shapiro with hammer
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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and the state police provide an update on the arson attack, on April 13.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania - The 38-year-old who allegedly broke into the mansion of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on April 14 morning and set it on fire told authorities he would have beaten the governor with a hammer if he’d found him.
After turning himself into authorities, Cody Balmer of Harrisburg told police he walked for about one hour from his residence to the governor’s mansion to carry out the attack
“Balmer admitted to harbouring hatred towards Governor Shapiro,” according to the police affidavit, which didn’t cite a reason for his animosity.
Balmer turned himself in after police were contacted by woman who said he was her “ex-paramour” and that he wanted to surrender. He faces charges including attempted homicide, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault, authorities said. An arraignment hasn’t been set.
Speaking to reporters after the incident, Mr Shapiro, who is Jewish, evoked the Passover meal he hosted at his residence hours before the fire was set. He and his family were evacuated, and no one was injured.
“If he was trying to terrorise our family, our friends, the Jewish community, who joined us for a Passover seder in that room last night – hear me on this – we celebrated our faith last night proudly,” Mr Shapiro said, at one point choking with emotion. “No one will deter me or my family or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly.”
Mr Shapiro said he spoke with FBI Director Kash Patel who “promised all of the resources of the federal government” for the investigation.
Firefighters responded at about 2am to the blaze in Harrisburg, which caused significant damage to a portion of the residence, though Shapiro and his family were in a different part of it, state police said in a statement.
Fire damage to the interior of the Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro’s mansion in Harrisburg.
PHOTO: COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA/NYTIMES
“Last night at about 2AM, my family and I woke up to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after an arsonist set fire to the Governor’s residence in Harrisburg,” Mr Shapiro said on X.
The suspected attack occurred on the first day of Passover. Mr Shapiro had posted an image of a dinner table set for the traditional Passover meal, or seder.
“This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society,” Mr Shapiro said on April 13. “It is not OK and it has to stop. We have to be better than this.”
Mr Shapiro, 51, gained prominence in the Democratic Party after defeating Donald Trump-endorsed Republican Doug Mastriano in the 2022 Pennsylvania governor’s race by almost 15 percentage points.
A contender for Ms Kamala Harris’ vice-presidential pick in the 2024 presidential election, he is Pennsylvania’s third Jewish governor. BLOOMBERG
