In an infuriating example of political violence, though one in which the perpetrator was fortunately caught, Benjamin Michael Campbell was arrested and extradited for allegedly ripping down a Trump 2024 banner from Mark Thomas’s yard and firing shots at the victim from the roof of his car. The accused perpetrator, Benjamin Campbell, faces felony assault, firearm discharge, and property damage charges
According to reports of the incident that emerged, Thomas, a 62-year-old Trump supporter, grabbed his rifle in response and described the incident as a “political trigger moment” and compared it to the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk that had occurred just a few days before the attack on his property.
Speaking to the media about the scary attack, Thomas described the inciting incident, noting that the perpetrator screeched to a halt outside his house and then attacked his property. “He was driving along, saw the sign, slammed on his brakes — you know, had a political trigger moment — and he just had to tear the sign down,” the Trump supporter explained.
Building on that by describing his reaction to the unprovoked attack, Thomas added, “I’m a Trump supporter. I have weapons for my protection and my enjoyment, and I keep them handy. You know, what good are they if you can’t get to them when you need them? So I reached over and grabbed my rifle.”
Further, the attacked Trump supporter likened the events to the then-recent assassination of Charlie Kirk. “Charlie Kirk — you know, his incident was absolutely tragic. No one died here in my yard, but flip the coin, snap your fingers, somebody could have died here. And it’s very similar to the Charlie Kirk incident,” he noted.
In conclusion, the brave Trump supporter savaged the perpetrator and pointed to a worrying level of political animosity and tensions in America, particularly at the hands of the radical left, saying, “The same type of people are the ones behind both shootings. It’s becoming much more common.”
Unfortunately, as we reported at the American Tribune, attacks on Trump supporters are indeed all too common. Earlier this year, a Trump supporter’s home was shot at, specifically targeting windows displaying pro-Trump stickers and “Police Lives Matter” imagery. According to local authorities, this was the second such attack in the last two years, and bullet holes riddle the conservative signs. Mason Rapisarda, a neighbor, decried the “unnecessary violence,” calling it “very scary.”
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The woman whose home was attacked made it clear that these shooting attacks are all too common. During the last incident, a bullet was found embedded in a kitchen cabinet. In an earlier attack, the unaimed fire was stopped by closed shutters. Reacting to this horrific violence, Mason Rapisarda, a neighbor, decried the political attack. He said, “I think it’s unnecessary to bring that kind of violence.” Similarly, he expressed concern for the safety of his elderly grandmother; “Being how close the houses are together, it definitely concerns me.”
Further explained how it was, saying, “Very scary for her and the neighbors and everyone. I didn’t know what could have motivated this… scary for sure.” Concluding his comments, he described how she was disturbed by the attack. “She told me she couldn’t sleep the whole night… I mean, it obviously freaked her out the whole night,” Rapisarda noted.
Watch coverage of the shooting: