A vehicle belonging to Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) was hit by gunfire while parked in the St. Louis, Mo. area on Saturday, reports first revealed Thursday.
A source close to Bush revealed the incident to the local NBC affiliate, 5 On Your Side. The source said the vehicle was parked at the time and Bush was not inside.
The source said it is not believed Bush was deliberately targeted. The source said there was evidence someone had tampered with the door handles of other cars parked nearby around the time Bush’s car was struck by gunfire.
Bush subsequently told 5 On Your Side, “Like far too many of us in St. Louis, experiencing gun violence is all too familiar.
“Thankfully no one was harmed. But any act of gun violence shakes your soul,” Bush added.
Bush, who was elected to Congress in 2020, campaigned on reducing gun violence and supporting gun control measures, such as expanded background checks.
“No one should have to fear for their safety here in St. Louis and that is exactly why our movement is working every day to invest in our communities, eradicate the root causes of gun violence, and keep every neighborhood safe,” Bush told 5 On Your Side.
NBC reported Bush did not specify precisely where the car was parked at the time it was shot, including if it was inside St. Louis city limits. A St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department spokesman said the department didn’t have a record of an incident matching Bush’s description within its jurisdiction.
Saturday’s incident is not the first time Bush has described her car having been damaged by gunfire. In June 2020, while she was running for office, tweeted photos from where a bullet had struck her car door’s handle.
“My car took the bullets. I am safe,” she tweeted at the time. “When I say that I am the people I serve, it’s not a slogan! A bullet went through my door handle on one side of the car, another went through my tire on the other side. I’m committed to taking us from ‘surviving St. Louis to living it.’”
