A Woman Is Shot Outside Virginia GOP Headquarters, and Police Point Across the Street

A woman was shot in the shoulder Thursday afternoon on the sidewalk outside the Republican Party of Virginia's headquarters in downtown Richmond, days before Election Day. Party staff brought her inside, applied pressure to the wound and called 911.

When a party office is near gunfire in the final stretch of an election, people wonder about a motive. So far, the facts point elsewhere. Richmond police say the woman appears to have been a bystander to a dispute that began at a hair salon across the street, and the party says it has no indication the shooting was related to its operations.

A woman from that salon is in police custody. She told police she fired in self-defense, a claim that remains unverified.

What Happened on East Grace Street

The shooting happened at about 1:45 p.m. in front of the Obenshain Center, the building in the 100 block of East Grace Street that houses the state party's offices, Fox News reported. The party said all of its staff were safe.

Frank Loehr, the party's chief financial officer, said he and other staffers were inside when the shots rang out. He told the Richmond Times-Dispatch the woman had been talking with people from the Nature Conservancy, who had a booth on the sidewalk, according to the Washington Times. The booth was not affiliated with the party, the Associated Press reported.

Loehr told the AP the woman was conscious and moaning in pain when staff brought her in. An ambulance took her to a nearby hospital. Of his own state afterward, Loehr said:

"I was shook up, and I'm still a little shook up."

Richmond police responded within minutes, and the sidewalk and building entrance were taped off while Richmond Fire and EMS were on the scene, NewsNation and its Richmond affiliate WRIC reported. Virginia Commonwealth University sent a VCU Alert to its community.

The Salon Across the Street

Police Chief Rick Edwards said police believe the wounded woman was a bystander to an unrelated incident, according to the Washington Times, citing the AP. In the chief's account, a man with whom a woman at the salon has an ongoing dispute entered the shop, and she told police she fired in self-defense.

That woman is in custody. Her name has not been reported, and no charges had been reported. Nor has the man's identity been reported, or whether he was hurt. Whether this was a single incident or crossfire is, for now, described only through the chief's account.

Early reports left the victim's condition unclear. Later reporting, attributed to the AP and police, said she was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Her name and age have not been given.

The Party's Response

The Republican Party of Virginia posted a statement on social media addressing the question of a connection.

"The proximity of this event notwithstanding, we have no indication that the shooting was related to the operations of the Republican Party of Virginia."

None of the reporting reviewed for this story points to a political motive, and both the party and police describe the shooting as unrelated. The finding of no connection rests on the word of the party and police.

What Comes Next

Charges against the woman in custody are pending. The victim's identity and condition, and police findings on the dispute that ended with a shooting on a downtown street, are also still to come. With Election Day days away, security at party offices may draw attention, even when the trouble starts across the street.