Bullet That Hit Eric Cantor's Office From Random Gunfire

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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