Cody A. Balmer turned himself into the Pennsylvania State Police on Sunday and admitted to “harboring hatred towards Governor Shapiro.” Did we forget to mention that he had a hammer and stated that if he encountered Gov. Shapiro he would have attacked him with it? The Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday they have charged the 38 year-old, antigovernment POS with attempted criminal homicide, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and other counts in connection with the early Sunday morning attack.
The arson attack lasted for several minutes. Shapiro and first lady Lori Shapiro, as well as other guests and staff, were inside the Harrisburg residence when the fire erupted around 2 a.m. No one was injured in the fire, and the governor’s family was safely evacuated. However, prosecutors said the residence sustained “substantial damage.”
Suspect appeared to be critical of the government online
Balmer worked as a mechanic. Kindermans Auto Repair, an auto repair shop in Harrisburg, wrote on Facebook on Sunday that he was a former employee at the shop.
Balmer’s social media presence suggests he held staunch anti-government views. He often posted memes urging people to “become ungovernable” and reposted an artwork of a Molotov cocktail in 2022 with the slogan “Be the light you want to see in the world.”
He posted negative content about then-President Joe Biden and seemed to reject Biden’s 2020 presidential win. He shared posts on Facebook criticizing Biden during his term, including a picture with the text “Joe Biden owes me 2 grand” and a post that said “Biden supporters shouldn’t exist.”
