Gunshots Hit U.S. Courthouse

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News: Local | "Gunshots hit U.S. Courthouse" | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon

Three bullets broke the windows of Rep. Peter DeFazio’s office in the U.S. Courthouse in Eugene late Wednesday or early Thursday, FBI officials said.

No one was in the office at the time of the overnight shooting. Staffers for DeFazio, a Springfield Democrat, discovered the damage when they arrived for work Thursday morning, FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele said.

“We’re obviously taking this very seriously,†Steele said.

At least four shots were fired at the federal building at 405 E. Eighth Ave. Three bullets hit and broke the windows of DeFazio’s second-floor office, while a fourth hit the wall above the office, which faces Mill Street. Steele said it was unclear if the bullets went completely through the glass.

Investigators believe the shots were fired sometime between 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday, Steele said.

She added that investigators cannot be certain that DeFazio’s office was the shooter’s intended target.

“Right now, our biggest concern is determining why this happened,†Steele said. “Were (the shooters) trying to hurt someone? We don’t know.â€

DeFazio spokeswoman Molly Simmons and his chief of staff, Penny Dodge, declined comment on the shooting.

Simmons confirmed that DeFazio was in Washington, D.C., when the incident occurred.

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