HARRISBURG — Gov. Josh Shapiro stood with his back to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence mid-afternoon Sunday, the state home badly damaged by an arsonist’s attack overnight, and declared resolve in his path forward — saying he will govern, live and celebrate his faith without fear.
Some 15 hours prior, Shapiro was met by state troopers banging on the residence’s door to rush himself, First Lady Lori Shapiro and their children to safety.
The dining room was burning, the same room where the Shapiros dined with relatives and community members the evening prior for the first Seder of the Jewish holiday Passover.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, Cody Balmer, 38, of the Harrisburg area, hopped a fence and evaded security, maneuvering through the property during an active search by troopers alerted to a security breach.
Police said Balmer briefly broke into the mansion, set the blaze and fled the same way he entered the gated mansion fronting Second Street along the Susquehanna River. He was arrested in Harrisburg on Sunday afternoon, delaying a previously planned news conference by about 40 minutes as the apprehension developed.
Police tape stretched around the fire-damaged portion of the mansion. Windows were broken out during the fire response, the bricks on the exterior wall were covered in char and soot.
Inside spread about the once elegant dining room was evidence of how destructive the fire was — tables upturned and broken, paint bubbled and peeled from the ceiling, wallpaper burned away, a chandelier coated in ash.
Flanked by state and local law enforcement officials, Shapiro expressed a range of emotions, at times shaken and angered, at times saddened and concerned. He didn’t veer, though, from asserting that he won’t be deterred by whatever the alleged arsonist’s motives may be.
“We do know that this attack was targeted. We don’t know the person’s specific motive yet but we do know a few truths,” Shapiro said during his remarks, speaking calmly before raising his voice to punctuate his next remark. “First, this type of violence is not OK.”
Shapiro paused before continuing, “This kind of violence is becoming all 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 OK,” he sternly declared again. “And it has to stop. We have to be better than this. We have a responsibility to all be better.”
“Second, if this individual was trying to deter me from doing my job as your governor, rest assured, I will find a way to work even harder than I was just yesterday for the good people of Pennsylvania.”
“Here’s a third truth. If he was trying to terrorize our family, our friends, the Jewish community who joined us for a Passover Seder in that room last night, hear me on this: We celebrated our faith last night proudly and in a few hours we will celebrate our second Seder of Passover, again, proudly. No one will deter me or my family or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly.”
Balmer faces attempted homicide and related charges. Law enforcement hasn’t ruled out a hate crime or the potential for federal charges on top of the state’s own criminal investigation.
Shapiro said his family was traumatized, as were the staff who work at the residence. He said he was working to be focused on being his best as governor, but also as a husband and father.
More than simply passing remarks, Shapiro frequently credited first responders for protecting his family, extinguishing the fire and arresting a suspect.
And, he thanked Pennsylvanians.
“I want you all to know that your prayers lift us up and in this moment of darkness we are choosing to see light and we appreciate the light that you have shined upon us,” Shapiro said.