Virginia city councilman set on fire in workplace attack; suspect
charged with attempted murder
[July 31, 2025]
By OLIVIA DIAZ and ALLEN G. BREED
DANVILLE, Va. (AP) — A city councilman in Virginia was seriously injured
Wednesday when a man stormed into his office at a local magazine, doused
him in gasoline and set him on fire — an attack that authorities say was
rooted in a personal dispute, not politics.
Lee Vogler, 38, who has served on the Danville City Council for more
than a decade, was taken by medical helicopter to a burn unit in North
Carolina after the attack. Police said the assailant, 29-year-old
Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, forced his way into Vogler’s office at
Showcase Magazine, confronted him, then chased him outside and set him
ablaze.
Hayes was arrested at the scene on charges of attempted first-degree
murder and aggravated malicious wounding.
Investigators stressed that the motive appeared personal and unrelated
to Vogler’s work as a public official. Still, the assault added to
growing unease over violence and harassment aimed at elected officials
across the country, particularly as the boundaries blur between their
public roles and private lives.
“There is no justification for lashing out,” said Andrew Scott Brooks,
publisher of the magazine. “This type of act of senseless violence needs
to stop.”
Two employees were in the building when the attack occurred, Brooks
said. According to police and witnesses, Vogler ran through the office
yelling for help after being doused in gasoline. A colleague called for
help as Hayes chased Vogler outside and ignited the fire, the publisher
said.
“Our door is locked,” Brooks said. “They forced their way into the
office, and went to Lee. The next thing, Lee is running through the
office covered in gasoline, yelling for our officemate to call 911."
Hayes was being held without bond in the Danville City Jail, police
said. A message left with a phone number listed for the suspect wasn’t
immediately returned. A message was left with the Danville Public
Defender Office asking whether they will be representing the suspect.
Showcase Magazine is a monthly publication about southwest Virginia and
North Carolina. The magazine shares a small two-story building with
several other businesses in Danville.
A woman who answered the door at the Vogler residence and identified
herself as the sister of Vogler’s wife declined to comment. A man at an
address listed for Hayes also declined comment.
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Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors member Kenneth Bowman,
left, and Danville council member Lee Vogler attend the Danville
Community College Education Foundation Holiday Gathering in
Danville, Va., Dec. 2024. (Von Wellington Photography via AP)
Elected officials and politicians throughout Virginia quickly
condemned the attack.
“Our prayers go out to Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler who was
violently attacked at his workplace earlier today,” Republican Gov.
Glenn Youngkin said in a statement. “We pray for a swift recovery
for Lee and for peace to be on the entire Danville community.”
Brooks said he had no indication that Vogler felt unsafe at work or
elsewhere. Vogler is a salesperson at the magazine, though at the
small-city media company, everyone does a bit a bit of everything.
“He makes sales, but he also writes stories about our community,”
Brooks said.
Brooks said that comes naturally to Vogler.
“His passion is being on the city council,” Brooks said. “He loves
when people call them with a concern that he can help them with, and
he has been an asset to the community for much of his adult life. He
was young when he got on city council, early 20s. He has made that
his life.”
Brooks said outside of work, Vogler is dedicated parent to his two
kids.
“He’s the one who coaches their sports teams,” Brooks said.
Danville is about 140 miles (227 kilometers) north of Charlotte,
North Carolina.
___
Diaz reported from Richmond, Virginia. Associated Press writers
Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, Claudia Lauer in
Philadelphia, Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, North Carolina, and John
Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed to this report.
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