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A shooting at the North Carolina residence of a Republican congressional candidate has forced the politician to evacuate his family in the waning weeks of his campaign – all after receiving a slew of death threats that has spurred the ex-soldier to attend events in a bulletproof vest.
The shooting transpired on October 18, and saw a single shot fired into a home belonging to the parents of Republican Pat Harrigan, a former Green Beret running for an open seat in the state’s left-leaning 14th Congressional District.
Despite occurring almost a month ago, the incident had not been reported on until Thursday – after it was revealed the FBI had launched an investigation into the shooting, after the bullet was found just feet away from where the candidate’s daughters, aged 3 and 5, had been sleeping.
As the incident was made public, the family would reveal that the two girls had been living with their grandparents for much of the campaign cycle due to the slew of death threats – which they said put ‘tremendous stress’ on Harrigan, 35, and his loved ones.
The kids have since been relocated out of state, according to their grandmother – while Harrigan, who was not at the residence at the time of the shooting, has since come forward to confirm that he owns a lakeside property near the residence, in the town of Hickory.
Shockingly, that same property was featured in a campaign ad recently aired by Harrigan’s primary opponent, Democrat Jeff Jackson – a scathing spot that showed the house and all of its surroundings. The commercial first aired on October 18, the day of the shooting, and has since been pulled from syndication.
An investigation has been underway since, but cops and federal agents have yet to to make an arrest. The shooting comes amid heightened concerns for the security of politicians ahead of next week’s Midterms, following Friday’s attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 82-year-old husband at their San Francisco home.
North Carolina Congressional Candidate Patrick Harrigan, pictured here with his two young daughters and wife Raquel, 37, has relocated his kids, aged 3 and 5, out-of-state ‘out of an abundance of caution after the shooting,’ the family said Thursday
The congressional candidate’s children were asleep in the bedroom directly above the room where the shooting occurred, with the bullet coming from a densely wooded area behind the house, piercing a window but not waking the kids
Harrigan’s mother, Marla Harrigan, 74, told The Associated Press Thursday that she and her husband James Harrigan were sitting down in their living room when the bullet entered the residence, shattering their laundry room window in the process.
The grandmother said the children were asleep in the bedroom directly above the room where the shooting occurred, but remained asleep despite the commotion.
The couple would then quickly call local police, who descended on residence in full, confirming in a report that the incident did involve a firearm before calling in the FBI.
According to Marla, the kids had have since been relocated out-of-state ‘out of an abundance of caution after the shooting,’ she said, with her Army veteran son now urging them to leave town as well.
Harrigan is running against Jackson, a former fellow soldier who served in the Army Reserve, for an open seat in the state’s new 14th Congressional District, which is notoriously left-leaning.
As a result, Harrigan – a political newcomer who was deployed to Afghanistan at 23 years old in 2010 – has reportedly received a slew of threats during his campaign, which seemingly culminated with last month’s shooting.
Marla Harrigan said the entire situation has put tremendous pressure on the Army vet, whose life has been uprooted now that his family has been split up and his girls whisked off.
‘It’s just disconcerting, especially with the children there,’ said Marla, before detailing the tension that has been thrust on the now- fractured family.
‘This campaign is so stressful, and we feel so badly for our son because, you know, he’s terribly stressed about his children.
‘And now they’re gone, they’re not with their parents – and it’s just very, very disruptive.’
The FBI are currently overseeing the investigation, and are being aided in their efforts by both state and local police. Authorities said the bullet came from a densely wooded area behind the house.
Harrigan’s opponent, Democrat Jeff Jackson, has been forced to pull an ad where he revealed the outside his opponent’s home. An investigation has been underway since, but cops have failed to make an arrest
The ad shows a man on a jet ski as a narrator tells listeners Harrigan ‘made a fortune’ off tragedies such as the Sandy Hook Shooting, and bought a lake house. It then shows an image of Harrigan’s home, which is not far from that of his parents. The spot was released on the day of the shooting – and spurred an angry open letter from Harrigan to Jackson a week later
Former Special Forces soldier Harrigan previously criticized his opponent for airing the location of his domicile despite knowing about him receiving death threats, and has since come forward to assert he would not be intimidated – and that ‘death threats aren’t enough to knock this Green Beret off that mission.’
Because of these threats, the ex-soldier has been forced to don bulletproof vests while attending campaign events, and move his two girls out of the family home to stay with their grandparents, for much of the campaign cycle.
They have since been relocated out of state following the scare – while Harrigan has revealed he owns a property near the home where the shooting occurred. No injuries were reported.
His opponent, meanwhile, was forced to pull the ad filmed directly outside the lakeside home, which criticized Harrigan’s gun manufacturing business, as well as his ownership of a home set outside the confines of the 14th Congressional District.
The ad shows a man on a jet ski as a narrator tells listeners Harrigan ‘made a fortune’ off tragedies such as the Sandy Hook Shooting, and bought a lake house. It then shows an image of Harrigan’s home, which is not far from that of his parents. It was released on the day of the shooting – and spurred an angry open letter from Harrigan to Jackson just a week later.
Harrigan, a former Green Beret, has since said not be intimidated by the shooting, and that ‘death threats aren’t enough to knock this Green Beret off that mission.’ Last month Harrigan claimed the race had become so heated that he wears a bulletproof vest to campaign events
A bullet landed just a few feet from where Harrigan’s children were sleeping at their grandparents home in Hickory, North Carolina. Harrigan said he moved them from his home nearby after receiving death thre
Harrigan’s daughters with wife Raquel, 37, have been relocated out-of-state ‘out of an abundance of caution after the shooting,’ the family said on Thursday
Jackson’s office, meanwhile, has yet to comment on the prospect that his ad could have helped a potential attacker locate his political rivals’ parents home, which Harrigan has confirmed is near where the shooting took place.
The ad shows a man on a jet ski, meant to represent Harrigan, engaging in a joyride in the bay at the backside of the Republican’s sprawling estate.
A narrator goes on to assert that the former soldier used supposed blood money profited off of his gun manufacturing business to buy the scenic lake house. It goes on to shows an image of the home – something Harrigan a week later would slam as going ‘too far’ – potentially putting him and his family at risk.
The concerns were aired in an impassioned open letter addressed to his opponent on October 25 – a week after the incident – in which the father-of-two wrote that ‘targeting family domiciles crosses a line.’
‘As I travel, wherever my family is located, they are significantly less safe with me in this race,’ Harrigan wrote, not revealing that the shooting had transpired, but saying he had received ‘credible death threats.’
‘And they are even less safe now that you’ve shown one of my homes to the world.’
Harrigan went on to slam the ad as an unfounded ‘hit piece’ – but still did not divulge what his family had already been subjected to.
A week after the shooting, without revealing it had taken place, an impassioned open letter addressed to his opponent on October 25 – a week after the incident – in which the father-of-two wrote that ‘targeting family domiciles crosses a line.’ While not revealing that the shooting had transpired, Harrigan did write that he had received ‘credible death threats’
Despite the public plea, the ad remained in syndication – until news of the shooting and officials’ subsequent investigation was made public on Thursday.
At that point addressing the incident in statement, Harrigan, in true military fashion, declared that he would not be deterred by the shooting, and that he would continue his campaign while speaking out against his opponent’s progressive policies, which he said have led to ‘rising inflation, economic ruin, & rampant crime—including political violence.’
‘I’m focused on fixing the economy, lowering prices and keeping our streets safe,’ Harrigan said. ‘And it’ll take more than a bullet and death threats to knock this Green Beret off that mission.’
A spokesperson for the Hickory Police Department told DailyMail.com the force has yet to make any arrests in connection to the incident, and that the investigation is currently being headed by the FBI.
Jordan Shaw, spokesperson for the Harrigan campaign, said the Republican candidate has handed over numerous death threats received before the incident to aid officials’ investigation.
The investigators tasked with overseeing the incident could not immediately be reached for comment. The probe is being handled jointly between local, state, and federal officials.
Harrigan – a political newcomer who was deployed to Afghanistan at 23 years old in 2010 – has reportedly received a slew of threats concerning his own safety during his campaign, which seemingly culminated with last month’s shooting.
The FBI, meanwhile, are testing ballistics of a bullet that went through the window, with photos shared by Carrigan’s office this week showing a pronounced bullethole on the domicile.
Last month Harrigan first aired claims that the race had become so heated that he wears a bulletproof vest to campaign events and had received death threats.
Jackson, meanwhile, has questioned Harrigan’s voter registration, citing how the Republican owns a home in Hickory and rents an apartment in Charlotte. Harrigan is registered to vote in Charlotte, but Jackson has demanded an investigation about whether he is legally registered there.
Both candidates claim to be more interested in issues than in baseless attacks – but despite their shared service record, the two have vastly differing plans as to prospective policies if elected come Election Day.
Harrigan has said he is dead-set on fighting inflation and economic issues, while Jackson, markedly more progressive, has said his opponent is more focused on attacking him politically – likely spurring the since-pulled ad. The ad was pulled from syndication on Thursday, WBTV reported – likely hours after the shooting was announced.
In true military fashion, Harrigan (pictured during his Army Special Forces days, has declared that he would not be deterred by the shooting, and that he would continue his campaign while speaking out against his opponent’s progressive policies, which he said have led to ‘rising inflation, economic ruin, & rampant crime—including political violence’
The politician has said he is dead-set on fighting inflation and economic issues, while Jackson, markedly more progressive, has said his opponent is more focused on attacking him politically -and has honed in on the fact Harrigan does not live in the 14th district
It is the latest attack on a politician member or their family in the run-up to the midterms.
On Friday, Pelosi’s elderly husband Paul was beaten with a hammer in his San Francisco home last Friday, New Hampshire Senate candidate Don Bolduc said a suspect tried to punch him before a debate on Wednesday night and a man tried to stab New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin on stage.
Biden condemned political violence in a divisive speech from Union Station in Washington D.C. on Wednesday night.
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