The Virginia city councilman who was torched in a targeted attack suffered severe burns across more than half his body at the hands of a maniac who allegedly set out to kill him, according to police and reports.
The chilling attack — which police said was personal — left Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler with burns covering up to 60% of his body, mostly on his torso, Andrew Brooks, publisher of Showcase Magazine, the local outlet where the pol works and was set ablaze, told the New York Times Thursday.
The married father of two was expected to undergo surgery at a North Carolina hospital that he was airlifted to following the horrific attack Wednesday morning, Brooks said.
Vogler’s wife, Blair, said that her “fighter” husband is healing.
“As anyone who knows him would expect, he is facing this challenge the same way he’s faced every obstacle in his life — with courage, determination, and an unbreakable spirit. Lee is a fighter,” she said in a statement to Southside News Today.
“Lee has dedicated over a decade of his life to serving the people of Danville. As his wife, I’ve stood beside him through the highs and lows, and I can attest to the integrity with which he serves. Beyond the headlines and the public comments, there is a man who deeply loves his family, city, and its people.”
Crazed assailant Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, 29, allegedly admitted to police he doused the 38-year-old Republican lawmaker with five gallons of gasoline and set him on fire because “it was his intention to kill” him, according to a criminal complaint obtained by ABC.
Hayes, a Danville resident, was charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding after he stormed into the offices of Showcase Magazine, drenched Vogler with the fuel, and then chased him outside before setting him on fire, according to the Danville Police Department.
Brooks said several bystanders recorded the terrifying assault, but a passing woman told a burning Vogler to drop to the ground and roll before grabbing bottles of water from her car to help extinguish the flames, the New York Times reported.
“She was a hero and likely saved his life while other people stood by filming it,” said the news publisher, who released an emotional video on Facebook shortly after Hayes allegedly “forced his way” into their offices and targeted Vogler, the monthly magazine’s director of sales.
Brooks and Showcase Magazine did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
The alleged arsonist was captured shortly after fleeing the harrowing scene, while Danville’s youngest-ever elected councilman identified his attacker and was rushed to a nearby burn unit in Lynchburg.
Police said Vogler, who was elected in 2012 at just 24, and Hayes know each other, adding the callous attack stemmed from a personal matter unrelated to the councilman’s position or political affiliation.
Court records show that Hayes’ wife filed for divorce just over two weeks before carrying out the alleged attack, NBC reported. The pair wed in September 2023, according to their wedding website.
Hayes’ wife and family could not immediately be reached.
Hayes was arraigned Thursday and is being held without bond at Danville City Jail.
His lawyer, Edward Lavado, declined to comment on the case.
Hayes is due back in court on Sept. 30.
