Illinois state Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel (D) said gunfire struck her Shorewood, Ill., home Tuesday morning.
Cappel said she and her family are safe and called the incident “deeply troubling” in a Facebook post Wednesday. She thanked Shorewood Police Chief Phillip Arnold, law enforcement, and investigators for detaining a suspect and “working diligently to get to the bottom of this.”
“I’m thankful that no one was hurt,” Cappel added. “At times like these, I am reminded of how precious peace and safety are in our communities. Violence is never the answer.” Later Wednesday, she updated her post to note that law enforcement had “determined that this was not politically motivated.”
According to a Tuesday Facebook post by the Shorewood Police Department, officers received a call at 6:50 a.m. about shots fired at a home. They found a residence struck three times by what appeared to be a small-caliber firearm. Another resident later reported gunfire outside their home and discovered exterior damage from a single shot hours afterward.
“Based on evidence obtained from both residences, and with the assistance of our local, state, and federal law enforcement officials, the firearm used appears to be consistent in both incidents, pending confirmation by lab analysis,” the department said.
Later Tuesday, police said that “thanks to the help of many neighbors sharing their videos with us, our officers and detectives were able to identify the vehicle and suspect involved in this morning’s shootings,” and the suspect had been taken into custody.
Cappel, elected to the Illinois Senate in 2020, represents the state’s 49th District near Chicago.
“I am grateful that Senator Loughran-Cappel and her family are safe. She has the full support of Senate Democrats as the police continue their investigation,” Illinois Senate President Don Harmon (D) told The Hill through a spokesperson.
The Hill has reached out to the offices of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) and Senate President Harmon for comment. Pritzker told reporters Monday that threats to his office have increased since the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk last week.
This incident comes as members of Congress voice growing concern about their safety following Kirk’s murder. On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said the rollout of the continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government was delayed because of ongoing talks to increase security funding for members.
The shooting at Cappel’s home also comes roughly three months after former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Vance Boelter, accused of murdering the Hortmans and shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette — who survived — pleaded not guilty to federal murder charges last month.
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