Volusia County Republican Party officials in South Daytona, Florida, found their headquarters’ windows shot out Monday morning, according to police.
Along with glass scattered in front of its entrance, at least four bullet holes were discovered inside the office.
Law enforcement is investigating the scene, where the office is part of a strip mall close by the Reed Canal Park. South Daytona police Capt. Mark Cheatham says no one was injured during the vandalism.
Cheatham believes the shooting likely occurred between 4 p.m. EST Sunday and early Monday morning. “At this point we can confirm that at least four rounds were fired into the building,” the police captain told reporters. “We are working to see if we can get video from nearby businesses but so far we have no witnesses.”
“We have never had any kind of vandalism before at a Republican Headquarters,” Volusia County Republican Party chairman Tony Ledbetter told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. “It’s a small strip center and no other business was vandalized, so it was obviously politically motivated.”
Reacting to the incident, Florida State Rep. Tom Leek issued the following statement: “The state of our political discourse in America is an embarrassment to all parties and those involved in the political process. Neither Democrats nor Republicans own the high ground on this issue. Sooner or later, both parties are going to have to stop suffering idiots within their own party, and cast them out on their own.”
Police have yet to identify any eyewitnesses and suspects in relation to the incident.
Earlier this month, Antifa activists targeted the Metropolitan Republican Club in Manhattan in a politically motivated attack. The far-left vandals spray-painted an anarchist symbol on the club’s doors and smashed its windows. “Our attack is merely a beginning. We are not passive, we are not civil, and we will not apologize,” a letter left by Antifa read. “Those of good conscience and clear mind know this state of oppression cannot remain.”
The vandals targeted the building in an attempt to protest a scheduled talk by conservative pundit Gavin McInnes.