A mid-October shooting incident sent a bullet into a house where the children of Republican congressional candidate Pat Harrigan of North Carolina were staying at the time.
Harrigan is in a contested race against Democratic state Sen. Jeff Jackson to represent North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District.
On Oct. 18, one shot was fired through the window of a house in Hickory that belongs to Harrigan’s parents, Brandon Craft, Harrigan’s campaign manager, said, according to the Carolina Journal.
(2/2) “To know that two small girls were sleeping mere feet from where a bullet would land is sickening. We condemn this and all other acts of violence." – MeckGOP Chair Sarah Reidy-Jones
— Brett Jensen WBT News (@Brett_Jensen) November 3, 2022
Craft said that Harrigan’s children, who often sleep at the home, were inside the residence at the time of the shooting.
Harrigan referred to the incident in a recent tweet, saying in part, “A bullet & death threats aren’t enough to knock this Green Beret off that mission,” the tweet said in part.
Jeff Jackson’s politics lead to rising inflation, economic ruin, & rampant crime–including political violence. My mission is a better economy, less inflation & safe streets. A bullet & death threats aren’t enough to knock this Green Beret off that mission.https://t.co/HXGO2SdK5f
— Pat Harrigan (@PatHarriganNC) November 3, 2022
The bullet struck a window in the home’s laundry room, according to the Charlotte Observer, citing a police report.
Marla Harrigan, 74, told the Associated Press that she and her husband James Harrigan were watching television down the hall from the room at the time of the incident.
She said the children, ages 3 and 5, were asleep in a bedroom directly above the laundry room. The bullet was fired from the direction of a heavily wooded area, she said.
The two children had lived with Harrigan’s parents for much of the campaign, she said, but are now living outside of the state “out of an abundance of caution after the shooting.”
“It’s just disconcerting, especially with the children there,” she said. “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.”
Jordan Shaw, a representative of Harrigan’s campaign, said the campaign has submitted the numerous death threats that have been received to the police.
Kristen Hart, a representative of the Hickory Police Department said police have not arrested anyone in connection with the incident, according to the Carolina Journal.
“No one was injured, but the officers investigating did find evidence of a bullet casing which is being looked into,” Hart said.
Reports from WBT-TV indicated the FBI is involved in the investigation.
To be clear, the FBI is doing ballistic tests. Other agencies may be involved in the investigation.
— Brett Jensen WBT News (@Brett_Jensen) November 3, 2022
In the aftermath of the revelation of the incident, Jackson pulled a campaign ad that included an image of a home owned by Harrigan, according to WBTV-TV. The house in the ad was not the one targeted in the incident.