- According to investigators, arson is suspected to have occurred at the Maricopa County Democratic Party headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday morning.
- Investigators have examined the evidence, including a large number of video surveillance images.
- Fire department officials added that the investigation was still ongoing.
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According to investigators, arson is suspected to have occurred at the Maricopa County Democratic Party headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday morning.
Firefighters extinguished the fire at headquarters around 1 a.m. local time. No injuries were reported. Since then, investigators analyzed the evidence, including a large number of video surveillance images, officials with the Phoenix Fire Department said during a press conference.
Fire department officials said the investigation was still ongoing, but eliminated the possibility that it was an accident.
“Our computers, our phones, our tablets, our printers – everything to get the vote out was destroyed in the fire last night,” Steven Slugocki, chairman of the county Democratic Party, told Insider. “Someone through a [projectile] He threw it out our window and destroyed our building. “
Slugocki, citing people who reviewed the video evidence, said a person pulled out his car, threw a projectile at the building, and left. Minutes later, fire swept through the building.
“We are quite upset. It is a devastating loss for us,” Slugocki said, adding that the Democratic Party “was going harder than ever.”
“It is more important than ever that we do the job we were elected to do, and that is winning the election this November,” he said.
—Adrian Fontes (@Adrian_Fontes) July 24, 2020
—Steven Slugocki (@Slugocki) July 24, 2020
Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, who once worked at the site, expressed his condolences.
“I’m so sorry to see this, my desk used to be right outside that door, in 2004,” Buttigieg said in a tweet. “I’m glad no one was hurt, and I know we can count on supporters to make sure the AZ / Maricopa Dems are up and running again quickly while you’re still at Arizona Blue.”
Arizona Democratic Party Communications Director Matt Grodsky said the damage would not have a major impact in the upcoming elections due to his staff, who have been working remotely, according to KTAR News.
The state Republican Party in a statement praised the work of law enforcement officials and said “violence of any kind is unacceptable.”
“Anyone who commits an act of violence, especially politically motivated violence, against any individual, party, or group in Arizona must be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of our law,” the statement said, adding that “ultimately , we are all Americans and should treat each other as such. “
