Bullet That Hit Eric Cantor's Office From Random Gunfire

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: In The News

(Credit: AP)

The bullet that hit House Republican Whip Eric Cantor's office was the result of random gunfire, the Richmond, Virginia police said today.

"A preliminary investigation shows that a bullet was fired into the air and struck the window in a downward direction, landing on the floor about a foot from the window," the Richmond police department said in a statement. "The round struck with enough force to break the windowpane but did not penetrate the window blinds."

Cantor cited the gunfire during a press conference yesterday in which he accused Democrats of "ratcheting up the rhetoric" concerning the threats they've received in the wake of the health care vote.

There have been threats against at least ten Democratic members of Congress, and the FBI and police are investigating. Democrats have criticized Republicans for using incendiary rhetoric such as "reload" and for claiming that Democrats are taking away their freedom and plan to institute "death panels."

Cantor suggested that both parties have been receiving threats, and cited the bullet that hit his office as an example. He said Democrats have been "dangerously fanning the flames" by politicizing the threats and violence against them.

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Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by actornaught March 28, 2010 1:17 PM EDT: According to police, and commonsense, the bullet was not aimed at the building or block where one of Cantor's offices is located, let alone Cantor.

The whole story needs to be removed from the discussion of recent politically driven threats and acts, and Cantor should say so.; Reply to this comment


by longbeachbronx March 28, 2010 1:07 PM EDT: Wow - what a oinidence; randome gunfire just happened to hit his car. And all those liberals burning Amerian flags and calling George Bush a "baby killer" were really just Republian teabaggers in disguise, trying to disredit all those patriotic liberals who were protesting an evil war while always remaining civil and polite.; Reply to this comment


by KPeters_from_UK March 28, 2010 10:33 AM EDT: "Richmond police now say there is no evidence the shot was targeted at Cantor."
Cantor jumped with secret glee as soon as he was told his office window suffered a gun shot. In front of national TV Cantor tried to pull the attention from the true victims of political hatred, those who are targeted by the Republican rhetoric to his pathetic attempt to kill Health Care Reform. His little drama queen antics actually backfired and continues to highlighted the intimation Democratics have suffered by the Teabaggers and their kind.; Reply to this comment

by ducdebrabant March 27, 2010 4:14 AM EDT

Cantor said a bullet was fired through his window, not that a bullet fired in the air (there must have been an Iraqi wedding going on somewhere) came back to earth via his office window. It's an honest mistake on Cantor's part, but he was in error. Only the most fanatical Cantor fan would refuse to admit the man ever makes a mistake.

Reply to this comment


by brianbwb2011 March 27, 2010 6:53 AM EDT: No error, but an intentionally exaggerated fable designed to appear as if someone shot at his office because they were angry at him for opposing the nation's health, or for being, as he put it, Jewish. (the latter is laughable because the people most likely to be anti Jewish are the far right core of his own ASPD-GOP.

When the evidence strongly suggests that the GOP, Jews, or Cantor himself was nowhere near the shooter's mind when the shot was fired.


by kansas1946 March 26, 2010 10:47 PM EDT: The bullet that hit House Republican Whip Eric Cantor's office was the result of random gunfire, the Richmond, Virginia police said today.

*****************
Sorry Mr. Cantor. No one was trying to kill you. In fact, it was probably one of the tea-party crazies that fired the gun. Those "liberals" aren't really big on guns, throwing bricks, spitting on people, or throwing racial slurs. That would be your folks. Be proud.; Reply to this comment


by cannotwait2008 March 26, 2010 10:30 PM EDT: So, I guess that returns the score to:

Democratic Psychos Trying To Hurt People: 0
Republican Psychos Trying To Hurt People: Too Many To Count; Reply to this comment


by 45ford March 26, 2010 9:58 PM EDT: The Richmond Times-Dispatch is reporting that the building ISN'T Cantor' headquarters nor a satellite office. Cantor neither owns nor leases the building. Instead it's a small mailing business occasionally hired by Cantor to process literature to be mailed to his constituents. It is an all out misportrayal for Cantor to claim it is one of his offices that was shot.; Reply to this comment


by antoniof123 March 26, 2010 9:39 PM EDT: Eric Cantor was told this from the very beginning in fact this building is hardly used. This guy is a lie that is happening all the time.

They will find out in a few months when the election gets closer that all the hate they spewed will come back to haunt them.

Dumber than dirt!; Reply to this comment


by jxknowles March 26, 2010 9:26 PM EDT: by Lifeson2112 March 26, 2010 7:51 PM EDT
Rush never said he was going to move to Costa Rica. Educate yourself and stop spewing your leftist hate.

Here's the quote:
Rush: "I don't know. I'll just tell you this, if this passes and it's five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented, I am leaving the country. I'll go to Costa Rica."
He's "leaving the country". "Leaving the country". That seems fairly obvious. What part of that didn't you understand?; Reply to this comment