TEMPE, AZ — Tempe police say gunfire damage was found at an Arizona Democratic campaign office on Monday. This is the second time the office has been damaged in recent weeks.
Officials say the most recent incident happened just after midnight near Southern Avenue and Priest Drive on Monday morning. Police say they appeared to be gunshots through the front windows.
Police say the incident is "being investigated as a property crime as no one was in the office at the time of the occurrence."
The Mesa Forensic Unit is assisting Tempe police in the investigation.
Police say the office was also damaged by someone with a bb gun or pellet gun overnight on September 16.
Sean McEnerney, Arizona Coordinated Campaign Manager, shared the following statement with ABC15:
“Overnight, several shots were fired into our Tempe Democratic Party coordinated campaign office. We are grateful to Tempe Police for coming quickly to the scene and are fortunate no one was present or injured."
Ron Barber, a senior advisor at the Arizona Democracy Resilience Network spoke with ABC15 on Tuesday.
“It’s a scary thing. I can only imagine how the staff who work in that office are feeling about going back to work,” said Barber.
Arizona Democratic Party Chair Yolanda Bejarano also shared a statement with ABC15 saying:
“It’s extremely sad that the Arizona Democratic Party has become the target of violence — it’s not who we are as Arizonans or Americans. We are working with law enforcement to ensure this threat is taken seriously and that our staff members are safe while they’re at work.”
The investigation remains ongoing. No arrests have been made and anyone with any information is asked to call Tempe police at 480-350-8311.
