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WOWK-TV - Huntington/Charleston, WV - 13 News: "Few Leads in Shooting at GOP HQ
September 2, 2004

A shot was fired at the Republican Party headquarters in Huntington Thursday night, while two dozen supporters of George W. Bush watched him accept his party's nomination on television.

Secret Service to Investigate Incident

The Secret Service was contacted Friday to help investigate a shot fired at the Cabell County Republican headquarters in Huntington.

Supporters of President Bush had gathered at the 4th Avenue headquarters Thursday night to watch the president accept his party's nomination. About two minutes into the speech, someone fired a shot through the front window of the building.

Nobody was hurt, but there was plenty of anger in the aftermath.

'This is pretty low and shows how desperate the Democratic Party is,' said Republican Amanda Beach.

Bobby Nelson of the Cabell County Democratic Executive Committee disagreed. 'I hope it doesn't take on a political connotation, that this was done for politics,' Nelson said. 'I'd like to say it was some random thoughtless act.'

Police did not have much to go on in their investigation. No bullet fragments were found, so detectives can't tell for sure what type of weapon was used.

Eyewitnesses told 13 News they heard a loud bang but weren't sure what had happened. One woman said she found pieces of glass on her neck and shoulders. The bullet hole pierced a sign that said marriage is between 'One Man, One Woman.'

'It's kind of scary,' said Christina Gossett, a Marshall freshman. 'The scariest part is that there were people sitting in there a few feet lower and could have been really bad.'

President Bush is scheduled to campaign in Parkersburg on Sunday and in Huntington Sept. 10.

Thursday's incident attracted the attention of the Drudge Report Internet site. Its link essentially took wowktv.com offline for most of Friday."