Man Shot After Tearing Down Trump Banner in North Carolina

A man from North Carolina reported that he was shot by an agitated driver after he removed a President Trump banner from his mother’s front yard. He suggests this incident highlights an increasing political animosity in the U.S.

Mark Thomas, who operates a rafting business in Nantahala Valley, was at home when the shooting occurred on September 6.

In a conversation, Thomas recounted checking his security footage, noting a man, masked in an “Antifa-style” fashion, exiting a Jeep Cherokee and inspecting a Trump banner on a bus parked close to his 87-year-old mother’s house.

The man, later identified as 38-year-old Benjamin Michael Campbell, was allegedly speeding before he abruptly stopped to take down the banner.

“I believe in the Second Amendment, so I grabbed my rifle and went to the porch,” Thomas stated.

According to Thomas, Campbell fired two warning shots into the air, then went back to his vehicle and shot through the sunroof. After initially fleeing, he returned a short while later and fired more shots, striking a refrigerator inside the home.

Campbell, an accountant from Atlanta, fled the scene but was arrested on September 30 and extradited to North Carolina. He now faces multiple charges, including assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and discharging a firearm in an enclosure.

Thomas expressed surprise at learning the suspect was a 38-year-old professional.

“It seems that just seeing a Trump sign triggers anger in some people,” he remarked. “I used to think of him as just a kid who might change his views one day.”

He admitted he hesitated to call the police after the first shot but decided against it when Campbell returned to shoot again.

Interestingly, Thomas noted there were several other Trump signs on the property that he hadn’t noticed before.

He quipped about Campbell’s poor aim, saying that it actually saved the man’s life. “If he had shot better, this could have turned out much differently,” Thomas reflected.

This incident occurred just days before the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which Thomas believes has brought more awareness to the violence stemming from political division in the country.

He claimed that certain Democratic leaders are fueling hostility towards conservatives and deepening these divides.

Ultimately, Thomas expressed a desire to speak with Campbell to better understand his motivations.

“I genuinely want to know what’s going on in his mind,” Thomas said, adding that he even considered putting money in Campbell’s prison account so he could communicate with him.