Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday told Newsmax on Tuesday that state police are working to uncover the motive of the arsonist who set fire to the governor’s residence over the weekend, forcing Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family to evacuate.
Police on Sunday arrested Cody A. Balmer, 38, of Penbrook, Pennsylvania, and charged him with terrorism, attempted criminal homicide, and aggravated arson, among other counts, for allegedly setting fire to Shapiro’s official residence early in the morning on Sunday, just a few hours after the governor hosted a dinner to celebrate Passover.
Sunday, asked if Shapiro could have been targeted for being Jewish, told “National Report” that he could not comment on any possible motivation.
“I can’t divulge parts of this investigation,” Sunday said, “but what I can say is that right now, the Pennsylvania State Police, who are leading this, they are looking at every single thing humanly possible with regard to this defendant … to see if there’s a potential motive, if there’s any more information with regard to his intent.”
He added: “I have no doubt that if the Pennsylvania State Police uncover information that would lead to any inferences of that nature, then that’s something that will certainly be discussed in the near future.”
According to reports, Balmer had a criminal record and a history of domestic violence issues. Sunday said that he “can’t comment on” the allegations against the suspect, “what I will say is that … there’s been a lot of public reporting about potential mental health issues, not just in this case, but in other crimes of violence we see and I think that’s something we need to we need to talk about.”
Sunday added: “I have to be very careful about things I say with regard to the defendant’s criminal history, his criminal record. We want to make sure that … we’re in a position that he can be prosecuted appropriately and in accordance with his due process rights.”
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