LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Lafayette police say at least six shots were fired into the front of the Tippecanoe County Democratic Headquarters.
Officers were called to the building a few blocks from the courthouse early Thursday evening.
No one was hurt, and no one was inside the building at the time.
"Disbelief is probably not a strong enough word," said Heather Maddox.
Maddox still can't believe there were bullets fired into the headquarters, where she has spends much of her work days alone, conducting online meetings as part of her leadership job.
"That was totally shattered," Maddox said. "One of our side windows had a bullet hole in it, so that was shattered a bit and then inside there was some fragment damage and a bullet hole went through the wall."
Officers say they believe it happened sometime late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. No other buildings appear to have been hit.
"It was a politically oriented crime on top of the fact that it put people at risk. It's crazy," said Chief Patrick Flannelly.
After Election Day 2020, Maddox decided to have volunteers work from home due to the pandemic. Although the building was empty during the gunfire, she still heard from her concerned republican counterpart.
"My hopes is that you, whoever you are, that you are found and that you are punished accordingly for your activities," said Tracy Brown, Tippecanoe County Republican Party Chairperson.
John Zody, chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party issued this statement Thursday night:
"It's not a coincidence to have a Democratic Party office experience a shooting not even a day after a domestic terrorist attack at the U.S. Capitol. The act of violence against the Tippecanoe County Democratic Party headquarters is alarming and continues the dangerous escalation of violence against political organizations and American democracy itself. However, I fear that this act of violence will not be a one-time incident. I implore all local and state leaders to come together and condemn this violence now so we can prevent further violence from happening across Indiana - and we will carry and fight on as Democrats."