Governor Shapiro (00:13):
Good afternoon. Last night at approximately 2:00 in the morning while my family and I were asleep upstairs here at the governor's residence, one of the state troopers assigned to our detail banged on our door, woke us up and told us we had an emergency and needed to leave immediately. Together, we secured all of our children, our two dogs, our family that was staying with us and the troopers safely evacuated us from the governor's residence.
(00:53)
Last night we experienced an attack not just on our family but on the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania here at the Governor's residence. I want to thank the Pennsylvania State Police for safely evacuating our family, for their bravery last evening, and for their careful leadership of this investigation.
(01:18)
I want to thank Harrisburg Fire and their chief who was personally on the scene and spent time with me and my family last night. He and the other firefighters from Harrisburg ran toward danger to help keep us safe and quickly putting out the fire. I want to thank the Capitol Police for assisting the Pennsylvania State Police last night in ensuring everything was orderly.
(01:53)
I want to thank the FBI and our federal partners for their assistance. I spoke a couple of hours ago with Director Cash Patel of the FBI. He promised all of the resources of the federal government. He was extremely kind and courteous and thoughtful in his conversation with me. And I thanked him and the women and men of the FBI and the President of the United States for their support.
(02:22)
I especially want to thank your local district attorney, Fran Chardo. Fran is someone I've known for 20 years in public service. An outstanding leader in law enforcement. You'll hear from him in a few moments.
(02:37)
Laurie and I are overwhelmed by the prayers and the messages of support that we've received from all across Pennsylvania and all across the United States. We've heard from our fellow governors and first spouses. We've heard from several of the former governors of Pennsylvania. Heard from so many friends and loved ones. And we've heard from so many caring citizens of this great commonwealth. I want you all to know that your prayers lift us up. And in this moment of darkness we are choosing to see light and we appreciate the light that you have shined upon us.
(03:36)
Pennsylvania State Police led by Colonel Christopher Paris will brief on the specifics of what transpired. But we do know that this attack was targeted. We don't know the person's specific motive yet but we do know a few truths.
(03:54)
First, this type of violence is not okay. This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society and I don't give a damn if it's coming from one particular side or the other. Directed at one particular party or another, or one particular person or another. It is not okay. And it has to stop. We have to be better than this and we have a responsibility to all be better.
(04:39)
Second, if this individual was trying to deter me from doing my job as your governor, rest assured I will find a way to work even harder than I was just yesterday for the good people of Pennsylvania.
(05:01)
Here's a third truth. If he was trying to terrorize our family, our friends, the Jewish community who joined us for a Passover Seder in that room last night, hear me on this: we celebrated our faith last night proudly and in a few hours we will celebrate our second Seder of Passover. Again, proudly. No one will deter me or my family or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly.
(05:49)
I am grateful to the good people of Pennsylvania for giving me the honor to serve as their governor. I will continue to pour every ounce of my being into this work. I'm going to do my best to be your governor and right now to be a good husband and father to my family who are obviously traumatized by what occurred here last night.
(06:19)
We are grateful to law enforcement for helping ease some of that trauma thanks to their outstanding work. They were here within seconds and they did an extraordinary job. Local, state and federal law enforcement partners. I now want to bring up the Colonel of the Pennsylvania State Police to give you some specifics on the investigation followed by our district attorney Fran Chardo and then we'll do our best to take a few questions.
Colonel Paris (07:00):
Thank you, Governor. I'd like to begin by saying on behalf of not only the Pennsylvania State Police but all of our partners, federal to municipal, that our hearts and prayers are with you and your family during this very trying 14-plus hours. I'd like to start off by preemptively offering that this is still very much very early in a very active and dynamic investigation and I can tell you that we're pursuing any and all leads. We have processed the crime scene and released it just recently. You will see imminently how large and complex of a scene that it is.
(07:42)
Physical evidence has been gathered and is in the process of being forensically analyzed both at the state police crime laboratories and also the Cumberland County Crime Laboratory and I'd like to mention them specifically.
(07:57)
As the Governor stated, the work done by Harrisburg Fire Department was absolutely instrumental in preventing any loss of life last evening. To acknowledge again the Harrisburg police and the major case team that the state police was able to put together.
(08:16)
So to pause for a moment that was comprised of and remains comprised of the Harrisburg Police Department, the Capitol police, our partners from the FBI. I received multiple calls from the FBI SAC of Philadelphia who happens to be out of country and yet he took the time to call, as well as his assistant special agents in charge who are not only here with us but we've spoken to throughout this incident. I received a call personally from the Attorney General with an offer of any and all support. Received a call personally from the US attorney acting for the middle district of Pennsylvania, John Griganis, offering any and all support of the US Attorney's Office. And as the governor said, who you will hear from shortly, the Dauphin County District Attorney, Fran Chardo.
(09:01)
So I can confirm at this point as we put out already, we are conducting an arson investigation and we're conducting an attempted homicide and aggravated arson investigation. That is the paradigm that we've operated in. A lot of the investigative tasks have focused on the who up until this point. Obviously we're trying to piece together very early on the exact sequence of events.
(09:28)
We were late in coming out here because we were getting rapid information as it was occurring. And I'm pleased to announce that we do have an individual in custody. His name is Cody Balmer, B-A-L-M-E-R, age 38, with a Harrisburg post office address.
(09:52)
In terms of the sequence of events because of the thrust of the investigation concentrating on the who, I want to be very deliberate in my comments as to the how and exactly the timeframe. What I do feel confident in saying at this point is that we don't anticipate any charges for conspiracy. But again I'd reiterate my qualifier that I mentioned earlier that we are still very much inside the first 24 hours. But at this point we do not anticipate that.
(10:22)
Likewise, the quick action of the members of the governor's detail, not only his immediate family but some extended family members who were here. You will see from the physical plant behind me how grave the situation was. And when this occurred I will tell you again the exact sequence of events. We will conduct a full review. But I feel very confident in telling you that it occurred over an extremely brief period of time, several minutes. And the quick action of those troopers last night immediately shifted to the safety of the Governor and his family and his extended family.
(11:00)
So we will certainly take a look and have a full, competent, and thorough investigation. But our hats are off to the quick action of all the first responders not just within the state police but, as the Governor said, Harrisburg fire department who was instrumental in getting here quickly and getting the fire knocked down. We have kept tabs on the Governor all day and will continue to do so and at this point I'd like to turn it over to district attorney, Fran Chardo. Thank you.
Fran Chardo (11:37):
As the colonel indicated, Cody Balmer is in custody. We are preparing a criminal complaint to charge him. This is not of record yet but the charges will include attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault against an enumerated person. These are all very serious charges. As with any charges the defendant is presumed innocent. We will file those charges within the next several hours and we will include a probable cause affidavit which will detail the basis for this arrest.
(12:14)
I can't give you a lot of details because it won't be of record. I can only give you the charges. But the criminal complaint and the affidavit will detail that further this very day. I want to commend the Pennsylvania State Police, the Capitol Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the other agencies that conducted this investigation. I was here this afternoon and witnessed the remarkable efforts. They did a great job in bringing this to a swift conclusion.
(12:47)
And I'll tell you that they do this in every case that I work with them on. Not just cases involving the Governor. In every case we are blessed to have great law enforcement agencies that work diligently in cases involving serious violence. As I say, we're going to file that criminal complaint shortly and that complaint will speak for itself along with there will be a booking photograph that will be available later today but we don't have that yet available and we're glad to take any questions you might have.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
Governor, I think everyone's thankful you and your family are okay.
Governor Shapiro (13:21):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
I want to ask when you're hearing those charges, though, knowing that someone tried to at the very least seriously injure or kill you and your family, are you reflecting today on that? And just can you talk about your emotions there?
Governor Shapiro (13:42):
Honestly, I just right now want to be a good father and a good husband and take care of my family. Thank you.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
District attorney, is there anything you can tell us right now about how Mr. Balmer accessed the property and how he left the property?
Fran Chardo (13:59):
Well, it's going to speak for itself. I mean he entered it surreptitiously and not far from here. He came over a fence, I will tell you that. And he acted very surreptitiously and then he forcibly entered and then he set the fire.
Speaker 6 (14:21):
Do you know if he's going to face federal charges?
Fran Chardo (14:23):
Well, so we have the FBI involved. There will be a review of that by the US attorney and a decision will be made. He may face both. They're separate sovereigns and we're going to make a decision on that. It may be both. But we always look at to determine where we can get the best justice.
Speaker 7 (14:40):
What did Balmer say about his reasoning for … I mean, he's in custody. What has he said?
Fran Chardo (14:45):
So I think that we'll let the probable cause affidavit speak for itself.
Speaker 7 (14:50):
Mr. Governor, do you think that this could have been a hate crime or politically motivated?
Governor Shapiro (14:54):
I think that's a question for the federal government or for the district attorney. It's not something I'm prepared to answer.
Speaker 8 (15:02):
Is the break in the fence over there, the patch up, is that where he came in and was the fence damaged because of him?
Colonel Paris (15:10):
Yes. I will turn it over to Lieutenant Colonel Bivens at this point. That was the point of ingress. And as I said, we will be conducting a multifaceted review in terms of security measures and the exact timeline of how it happened. But I do feel very confident in saying that certain steps of due diligence were taken by our people and we are in their debt for getting the Governor and his family, immediate and extended, out of the house. When you see the physical plant behind me it will be readily apparent how grave the situation was.
Speaker 9 (15:44):
How did this happen?
Colonel Paris (15:45):
One second. I'll turn it over to Lieutenant Colonel Bivens. Standby.
Lt. Colonel Bivens (15:49):
Excuse me [inaudible 00:15:52]. So this individual came over a fence right behind where all of you are standing right now. He actively evaded troopers who were here to secure the residence even while they were searching for him on the property. While they were searching is when he attacked at the residence, broke in, and set the fires. So that was all playing out over a period of several minutes. It was a very quick event that occurred. And again, troopers were actively searching for him at the time.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
What did he use to start the fire?
Lt. Colonel Bivens (16:28):
He had some homemade incendiary devices.
Speaker 11 (16:31):
Molotov cocktails?
Lt. Colonel Bivens (16:33):
I'm not going to provide a lot more detail on that right now. A lot of material has been collected and is being analyzed. But I think a homemade device describes it for right now.
Speaker 12 (16:46):
Did [inaudible 00:16:47] know he was on the property before he started the fire?
Lt. Colonel Bivens (16:50):
We knew that there had been a breach on the property and we were searching to determine what had occurred, why there was a breach.
Speaker 11 (16:59):
Will there be an increased security presence around the Governor's mansion? And will the FBI remain on site? Talk a little bit about what's going to go on going forward.
Lt. Colonel Bivens (17:05):
So there is already a security review underway to determine how we can ensure that we don't have a repeat of a situation like this. We look at all aspects, personnel, technical surveillance equipment, security equipment, all of that will be reviewed and we will do our best to ensure that the governor and his family are safe in this residence.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
Did he make it into the residence itself or was this something thrown through the window?
Lt. Colonel Bivens (17:37):
He did make it into the residence.
Speaker 11 (17:38):
And then how did he get off the property and where was he apprehended?
Lt. Colonel Bivens (17:42):
He exited the property the same way he came on. Back over the fence. He was apprehended in the Harrisburg area a short time ago.
Speaker 13 (17:53):
Governor, you talked about resilience especially in light of Passover. And do you feel like being able to come back and say, "We are not going to stop celebrating this," especially in the light of motivation, whatever it was that happened here, do you think it's important to show not just Pennsylvania but the whole country you're not going to be fearful?
Governor Shapiro (18:12):
I'm not fearful. I'm obviously emotional. I'm worried about my family. I want my kids to be okay. When we were in the state dining room last night gathered with the community and family and friends, we told the story of Passover and it's a story of going from bondage, from slavery into freedom. I think it's an important story both literally and figuratively to tell, and I refuse to be trapped by the that someone attempts to put on me by attacking us as they did here last night. I refuse to let anyone who had evil intentions like that stop me from doing the work that I love, stop me from being a leader of this commonwealth and looking out for all Pennsylvanians. I will not be deterred in my work and I will not be afraid to do that work.
Speaker 14 (19:14):
Governor, who all was in the house at the time and how is your family feeling right now?
Governor Shapiro (19:18):
I'm not going to get into my family and who was in the house. I will tell you that obviously when you get woken up at 2:00 in the morning with a banging on the door from brave Pennsylvania state police telling you, you have to immediately evacuate that's jarring. Especially for children. They're doing okay now. They're all together. And as I said, shortly here we're going to celebrate our second Seder together. We're going to have more family time. And I trust that Laura and I will make sure our kids get through this well and listen to them, be there for their emotional needs, be there for their mental health support, our mental health support, and making sure that everybody is able to get through this and continue on with our lives. Me doing the important work I'm doing, my wife, our first lady doing the important work they're doing, and our kids being normal kids doing what they do.
Speaker 15 (20:12):
Governor, was there any question from a security standpoint? Any discussions?
Governor Shapiro (20:14):
I'm sorry. I just didn't hear the beginning of your question.
Speaker 15 (20:17):
Governor, any question from a security standpoint, any discussions about having you come back to the scene so soon and was this something you wanted to do?
Governor Shapiro (20:22):
I'm not going to get into my security. I've total confidence in the Pennsylvania State Police to keep us safe.
Speaker 16 (20:27):
As far as the suspect in custody goes, where are we at right now in terms of warrants for the residence or speaking to family members associated with the suspect? How is that going to play out now that all the federal agencies are involved along with the state?
Lt. Colonel Bivens (20:45):
So there are currently searches underway. Some with consent, warrants were necessary. That will play out through the remainder of the evening no doubt and beyond if necessary. All of that information and evidence will be collected and worked through the District Attorney's Office. A decision at some point in the future, as the DA said, will be made whether there is anything that rises to the level of a separate federal prosecution. But for right now we're operating all under state rules of evidence and procedures and collecting what we need for the state charges.
Speaker 17 (21:24):
We've got time for just a couple more questions here.
Speaker 9 (21:26):
Did the suspect seem like he knew the layout of the mansion area in where he planted the homemade devices was very intentional?
Lt. Colonel Bivens (21:37):
I don't know that we can yet fully characterize how much he knew. That's all part of the ongoing investigation. In terms of the layout, I will tell you that he clearly had a plan. He was very methodical in his approach and moved through it without a lot of hurry. Again, in a very methodical, planned manner and carried it out although in a very short period of time. When I said that he was in the residence he was inside for less than a minute. It all happened very quickly and he was back out.
Speaker 9 (22:15):
How long was he on the property before that?
Lt. Colonel Bivens (22:18):
That's all part of the investigation. We do have an idea because we know when we were alerted to the breach. It was a number of minutes. But again, all of that is part of the ongoing review as to where he was and how that time was spent on the property.
Governor Shapiro (22:34):
Let me just say one last thing and we're going to wrap this up. Laurie and I and the kids just feel so honored to have the privilege the good people of Pennsylvania have given us to be able to live in this house. This house functions as a welcoming place for Pennsylvanians to come and to learn and to celebrate and to be together. And that is a direct result of the extraordinary work that the staff does here at the Governor's residence led by Claire Ramsey. I want to just say they are traumatized by this as well. Laurie and I spoke to them earlier today to let them know that they're part of our family as we are theirs. Many of them have been here through multiple administrations, some as long as two decades, and we want them to know how much they are appreciated.
(23:28)
If you've ever come here on a tour or you've been privileged to be here for an event, it's a wonderful member of the Governor's residence staff who greets you, who cares for you, who feeds you and who makes sure that you enjoy your visit. And I just want to say a special thanks to them. They're going through a lot right now. They know that Laurie and I have their backs and it's going to take some time for them to work through this as well.
(23:52)
But I told them, "We'll clean this up, we'll get it repaired, we'll get it rebuilt. We'll get rid of that smell of fire and smoke." And we'll be back very soon and we'll be back to welcome the community into this residence with the smiles and the warmth of the people that make up this staff. So I want to thank all of you for your sensitivity here. For those who are celebrating Passover, I wish you a happy Passover. I know some are observing Palm Sunday and getting ready for Easter. I want to wish you the very best as well. I want to thank you for being here this afternoon.
Speaker 17 (24:28):
Thank you, guys.
