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The Arizona Democratic office in Tempe was shot at three times in three weeks

The Arizona Democratic office in Tempe was shot at three times in three weeks

The shooting at a Democratic office in Tempe, Arizona, comes after several instances of threats or violence during the 2024 election cycle.

The Arizona Democratic Party closed a field office in Tempe, Arizona, that was the target of three shootings in three weeks.

The incidents come amid a 2024 election cycle that has seen multiple threats or violence, including two assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump.

The Tempe office served as a location for Democratic campaign work in the region. The building was hit by air rifle bullets and gun bullets. No injuries were reported in any of the three incidents because all of the shootings occurred late at night when no one was in the office.

The candidates and staffers who had been working outside the office have moved their activities to undisclosed locations, said Lauren Kuby, a candidate for state Senate in Legislative District 8.

Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix and home to Arizona State University, is in Arizona’s 4th Congressional District, which is represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, who took over for Republican Paul Gosar.

The last shooting at the Democratic field office occurred early on October 6th. The other two shootings occurred in September and within a week of each other – the first on September 16 and the second on September 23. All incidents occurred between midnight and 1 a.m. local time.

Police told the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, that damage to the office included bullet holes in the glass door and a window.

Concerns about violence during this year’s campaign have become part of the political dialogue after two separate assassination attempts were made against Trump, one at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the other at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. Additional threats of violence were reported in Virginia and Oklahoma. Here’s what you should know.

July: Butler, Pennsylvania

On July 13, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The gunman was shot by Secret Service agents, but Crooks’ shots left one dead and two others seriously injured. Trump was injured in the upper part of his right ear.

August: Virginia

In August, a Virginia man was arrested and accused of threatening to kill Vice President Kamala Harris. Officials said on the conservative social media site GETTR that the man, Frank Lucio Carillo, had made “threats against the Vice President of the United States.”

September: West Palm Beach, Florida

The second attack on Trump occurred on September 15 at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida. At the time, the former president was golfing when a Secret Service agent spotted a gun barrel in the bushes.

When officers opened fire, the suspect, later identified as 58-year-old Ryan Routh, fled and was later arrested by authorities. Routh never fired a shot at Trump and the former president was uninjured.

October: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

An Afghan citizen was charged in Oklahoma City earlier this week with conspiring to carry out an Election Day terrorist attack on behalf of ISIS, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.

The man charged was 27-year-old Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who is said to have conspired and attempted to “provide material support to ISIS and obtain firearms and ammunition in order to carry out a violent attack on U.S. soil on behalf of ISIS “.

Contributors: Nolan Clay, The Oklahoman, and James Powel, USA TODAY

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a featured news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.