Cantor’s office hit with gunfire, calls out Democrats and Kaine

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Richmond) an outspoken opponent of President’s health care plan, and the 2nd most powerful Republican member of the House of Representatives spoke out today, after a bullet hit the window of his office in downtown Richmond.

Richmond police are not speculating on the motivation for the gunfire, but in a press event broadcast on several national cable news outlets, Cantor denounced the violence and then went on to call out Democrats for their reaction to similar threats. He also said that he had received threatening emails.

In a statement, Richmond Police describe in detail what they found at the scene. They say it appears that  “the a bullet was fired into the air and struck the window in a downward direction, landing on the floor about a foot from the window.  The round struck with enough force to break the windowpane but did not penetrate the window blinds.”   The building, as you can see from this picture, does not show any visible sign that it belongs to Cantor.

Cantor used the opportunity as way to lash out at Democrats who he believes have attempted to capitalize on the threats against them. “Security threats against a member of Congress is not a partisan issue and they  should never be treated that way,” Cantor said. “To use such threats as political weapons is reprehensible.”  He specifically made mention of former Governor Tim Kaine and Democratic Congressional Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen.

You can see Cantor’s entire statement on our web site NBC12.com.

You can also see the Richmond Police Department’s statement regarding their initial investigation, in its entirety after the jump.

UPDATE: The Richmond Police Department has officially ruled that the bullet was a “random stray”.