Updated 10:15 a.m. July 31: Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes was arraigned Thursday morning in Danville General District Court on charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding. He requested a court-appointed attorney. No further court dates have been set.
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Lee Vogler, a Danville city councilman, was attacked and set on fire at his workplace on Wednesday, police said.
Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, 29, has been arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding, according to the Danville Police Department. He is being held in the Danville City Jail under no bond, police said.
Vogler was airlifted to a regional medical facility for treatment, police said; the extent of his injuries wasn’t known as of Wednesday afternoon.
Police said Vogler and Buck Hayes knew each other prior to the attack, which appeared to stem from a personal matter unrelated to Vogler’s position on the city council or any other political affiliation.
Around 11:30 a.m., officers arrived near 700 Main St. in response to a report of a male being set on fire, according to a statement from the Danville Police Department. Police confirmed the man to be Vogler, 38.
Witnesses told police that a man entered the offices of Showcase Magazine, confronted Vogler and doused him with a flammable liquid. Vogler and the man left the building together; once they were outside, the suspect set Vogler on fire, according to police.
The man fled. Witnesses gave police a description of the man and his vehicle, and officers located and stopped the vehicle several blocks away. Buck Hayes was taken into custody without incident, according to the police statement.
The publisher and owner of Showcase Magazine, Andrew Brooks, issued a video statement on the publication’s Facebook page Wednesday.
“An individual forced his way into our office carrying a five-gallon bucket of gasoline and poured the gasoline on Lee,” Brooks said. “Lee attempted to flee, ran to the front of the building, the individual followed him and set him on fire.”
Brooks noted that Vogler identified his attacker and that, at the time the video was posted, Vogler was awake and talking.
“Our hearts and prayers are with him,” Brooks continued, and his eyes began to water. “This type of senseless act of violence has to stop. You do not have the right as a human being to get upset with someone enough to lash out and attempt to harm them in any way, much less this way.”
Martin Garrett, a paralegal at the nearby Garrett and Garrett law firm, was leaving work in his car to run an errand and witnessed the attack, said the firm’s receptionist, Carolyn Garrett.
He made a U-turn and got a blanket or some sort of mat out of his car and helped put out the flames, Carolyn Garrett said. Meanwhile, she heard a commotion, saw smoke, and called 911, she said.
Vogler is a Danville native who returned to the city after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2010. He became the youngest person to be elected to the city council in 2012, at age 24.
He has been a champion of Danville’s economic resurgence, affectionately labeling his hometown “the comeback city” and himself “the comeback kid.”
Vogler serves as chairman of the Danville-Pittsylvania County Regional Industrial Facility Authority and several other local boards. In 2017, the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association recognized him as Virginia Local Legislator of the Year. In 2022, Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed Vogler to the Virginia Small Business Commission.
Gary Miller, a member of the Danville City Council, said he was stunned when he heard the news of Vogler’s attack.
“It’s unbelievable, really,” he said. “We’re just praying for him. … He’s a friend and colleague and I love his kids. It’s stunning, it’s just stunning. Nobody saw it coming.”
Mayor Alonzo Jones issued a statement about what he called “an unthinkable act of violence against … our colleague, our friend, and someone we care about deeply.”
“Lee is a [a] member of our City Council family. And today, that family is hurting,” he said. “Our Council is close. We’ve worked through challenges together — and now, we face this heartbreak together. Please continue to pray for Lee and his family. We’re standing with him — and with each other.”
