A visibly emotional Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro faced reporters on Sunday after his home was set on fire as he and his family slept.
Shapiro took on a defiant tone as he vowed to continue his work undeterred after the suspect, 38-year-old Cody Balmer, allegedly hopped over a fence to forcibly enter the Governor’s Residence and set it on fire.
“When you get woken up at two o’clock in the morning with a banging on the door from brave Pennsylvania State Police telling you you have to immediately evacuate, that’s jarring, especially for children,” he said in a Sunday news conference. “They’re doing okay now.”
The Democratic governor, who is Jewish, said his family was celebrating Passover in the State Dining Room on Saturday night before the attack.
“I refuse to be trapped by the bondage that someone attempts to put on me by attacking us, as they did here last night,” he said, referencing the story behind the Jewish holiday.
“I refuse to let anyone who had evil intentions like that stop me from doing the work that I love, stop me from being a leader of this commonwealth and looking out for all Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro added. “I will not be deterred in my work, and I will not be afraid to do that work.”
Authorities said Balmer will be charged with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault against an enumerated person.
Pennsylvania State Police said the fire caused a “significant amount of damage” to part of the house, adding that they were “prepared to say” the attack was “an act of arson” though the investigation is still ongoing.
“This type of violence is not okay,” Shapiro said. “This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society, and I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one particular side or the other, directed at one particular party or another, or one particular person or another, it is not okay, and it has to stop.”
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