Lee Vogler, the Danville City Council member who was attacked and set on fire in July, is “seeing some signs of progress” in his recovery, according to a Wednesday statement from his wife, Blair Vogler.
The update, posted on a fundraiser page, provides the most detailed information shared about Vogler’s recovery to date.
Vogler was airlifted to the burn unit at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill immediately after the attack July 30. He is being treated for second- and third-degree burns to over half of his body.
Though he remains in critical condition, “I wanted to share a bit of hope with you today,” Blair Vogler wrote in the Wednesday update.
“Yesterday, with the help of his physical therapy team, Lee was able to stand,” she wrote. “It was a big step — literally and emotionally — and a moment that filled us with strength and gratitude.”
She also shared that her husband underwent a tracheostomy surgery last week, which is a procedure that creates an opening in the windpipe through the neck to help with breathing.
The surgery allowed him to come off a ventilator for most of the daytime, according to the update.
“That, in turn, has made it possible for him to start trying to communicate with us,” Blair Vogler wrote. “Hearing even a few words or seeing him try to express himself again has been incredibly moving.”
Vogler, 38, was at his workplace on July 30 when a man identified as Shotsie Buck-Hayes, 29, entered the office, doused him with gasoline and lit him on fire, police said.
Buck-Hayes was taken into custody and charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding later that day.
A criminal complaint filed in Danville General District Court says that Buck-Hayes “during an interview admitted that he had dumped gasoline on Vogler” and that “his intention was to kill Vogler.”
Police have said that Vogler and Buck-Hayes knew each other and that the attack stemmed from a personal matter and not from Vogler’s work with the city.
A GoFundMe page was established Aug. 1 by Andrew Brooks, the owner of Showcase Magazine, where Vogler works as marketing director. An initial goal of $100,000 was exceeded in less than a week, and the goal amount has been increased to $250,000.
As of Wednesday, almost $144,000 has been raised, coming from more than 1,100 donors.
“Next week, Lee will be going back to the OR for another surgery,” Blair Vogler wrote in the update. “These procedures are tough, but necessary, and he’s meeting each one with courage. His spirit remains strong, and during PT, he showed determination and a little spark that reminded me just how much fight he has in him.”
She also thanked the burn unit team at the hospital and the Danville community for its support.
Buck-Hayes is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing — when a judge will determine whether there’s enough evidence to send the case to a grand jury — on Sept. 30.
