Jump to content

Attack on Paul Pelosi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by GoodDay (talk | contribs) at 15:16, 29 October 2022 (Clarification). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Attack on Paul Pelosi
Paul Pelosi in June 2022
LocationSan Francisco, California, U.S.
DateOctober 28, 2022; 20 months ago (2022-10-28)
2:27 a.m. (PDT)
TargetNancy Pelosi[1]
Attack type
Attempted homicide by bludgeoning, assault with a deadly weapon
WeaponsHammer
InjuredPaul Pelosi
AccusedDavid DePape[2]

On October 28, 2022, an armed assailant attacked Paul Pelosi, the husband of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, with a hammer at the couple's home in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Paul Pelosi was seriously injured but is expected to make a full recovery.[3][4]

Police arrested a suspect at the scene who was charged with attempted murder. The suspect was identified as David DePape, a 42-year-old Berkeley man with social media posts endorsing conspiracy theories such as QAnon and claims that the 2020 US presidential election was stolen.[2]

Background

In 2017, a conspiracy theory, QAnon, emerged, proclaiming that the United States is run by a cabal of Satanic, cannibalistic, sexual abusers of children operating a global child sex trafficking ring.[5]

In 2021, during the January 6 Capitol attack, Speaker Nancy Pelosi was targeted by attackers who ransacked the Speaker's office.[6] In 2022, threats of violence toward U.S. politicians and lawmakers rose rapidly. The U.S. Capitol Police reported 9,625 threats and directions of interest (concerning actions or statements) in 2021, compared to 3,939 in 2017.[7]

Incident

When the break-in started, Paul Pelosi told the intruder that he needed to use the bathroom, then he made a secret 9-1-1 call on his cellphone and left the line open.[8][9][10]

At 2:27 a.m. PDT, the San Francisco Police Department responded to a break-in at the Pelosi residence.[3] The assailant grabbed a hammer in front of police and attacked the 82-year-old Paul Pelosi; he was reportedly shouting, "Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?"[4] Following the attack, Paul Pelosi underwent skull surgery at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital,[11][12] where he also received treatment for "serious injuries" to his arm and hands.[13]

Nancy Pelosi was in Washington, D.C., at the time of the attack.[14]

Investigation

The FBI, the San Francisco Police Department, U.S. Capitol Police, and the U.S. Attorney's and San Francisco District Attorney's Offices are involved in the investigation into the attack.[15] The primary suspect is David Wayne DePape,[3] who was confirmed by a spokesperson of Nancy Pelosi to be in police custody.[12]

Accused

David Wayne DePape
Born1980 (age 43–44)
Criminal statusPending
Criminal charge
Details
VictimsPaul Pelosi
DateOctober 28, 2022
Location(s)San Francisco, California
Target(s)Nancy Pelosi
WeaponHammer

David Wayne DePape, a 42-year-old resident of the nearby city of Berkeley,[16] was taken into custody and booked on suspicion of attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, and burglary.[4][15] DePape lived in British Columbia, Canada, before moving to the U.S.[17] According to two of his relatives, DePape was estranged from his family.[18] People who knew DePape eight or nine years ago said that he lived in a storage unit in Berkeley, sold hemp bracelets, and had drug issues.[19] Years prior to the attack, DePape listed himself as a member of the Green Party and was a nudist activist who antagonized local Democrats.[20] At one point, he lived with Gypsy Taub, who was known for promoting 9/11 conspiracy theories on television while naked.[21]

In 2021, DePape published on his Facebook page multiple links to videos by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell which falsely claimed that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen. He also linked to a video entitled "Democrat FARCE Commission to Investigate January 6th Capitol Riot COLLAPSES in Congress!!!" and content claiming that COVID-19 vaccines were deadly.[19] In the lead-up to the attack, he promoted QAnon and other far-right conspiracy theories on his WordPress.com blog, where he also attacked "the elites/ruling class", "immigrants, people of color, women, LGBTQ people and Muslims". DePape made posts with headlines such as "Communist Voodoo science", "Feminist gets owned", and "The woke are Racists with a guilty conscience".[20] DePape also promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories, such as accusing Jews of orchestrating the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year in order to enrich themselves and take over Ukrainian land.[22] DePape credited Gamergate, Jordan Peterson, and James A. Lindsay for his interest in right-wing politics. DePape's last post, published a day before the attack, was titled "Why Colleges are becoming Cults."[21]

Reactions

President Joe Biden expressed his support for the Pelosi family.[4] California Governor Gavin Newsom said the "heinous attack" on Pelosi was "yet another example of the dangerous consequences of the divisive and hateful rhetoric that is putting lives at risk and undermining our very democracy".[15][23] San Francisco Mayor London Breed called the attack a "horrific and scary incident", offering her support to Pelosi's family and thanking the first responders.[24]

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said, "There's no room for violence anywhere, but we're gonna send Nancy Pelosi back to be with him in California", a remark that attracted controversy.[25] Kentucky Senator Rand Paul tweeted, "No one deserves to be assaulted. Unlike Nancy Pelosi's daughter (Christine Pelosi) who celebrated my assault, I condemn this attack and wish Mr. Pelosi a speedy recovery." Paul was referencing when he was assaulted by his neighbor in 2017 and Christine Pelosi's tweet about it which read "Rand Paul's neighbor was right".[26]

References

  1. ^ Kaplan, Rebecca; Watson, Kathryn (October 28, 2022). "Suspect shouted 'Where is Nancy?' before assaulting Pelosi's husband at home, source says". CBS News. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Gregorian, Dareh (October 28, 2022). "Police identify Paul Pelosi's attacker as David DePape". NBC News. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Updates: Intruder Seeking Speaker Pelosi Attacked Her Husband With a Hammer". The New York Times. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Scott, Eugene; Caldwell, Leigh Ann; Stein, Perry; Kane, Paul (October 28, 2022). "Assailant shouted 'Where is Nancy?' in break-in at speaker's home, attack on Paul Pelosi". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  5. ^ Biesecker, Michael; Condon, Bernard (October 28, 2022). "Suspect in assault at Pelosi home had posted about QAnon". Associated Press. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Graham, David A. (October 28, 2022). "January 6 Never Ended". The Atlantic.
  7. ^ Stone, Mark (October 28, 2022). "Attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband comes amid increasing threats against US politicians". Sky News. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Petri, Alexandra E.; Winton, Richard; Wiley, Hannah; Yee, Gregory (October 28, 2022). "Attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband 'was not a random act,' San Francisco police say". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  9. ^ Cassidy, Megan; Stein, Shira; Echeverria, Danielle; Ravani, Sarah; Gardiner, Dustin (October 28, 2022). "Paul Pelosi attack: Police say suspect sought out Pelosi household". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  10. ^ Long, Colleen; Rodriguez, Olga R.; Mascaro, Lisa; Balsamo, Michael (October 28, 2022). "Intruder attacks Pelosi's husband, calling, 'Where is Nancy'". Associated Press. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  11. ^ "Nancy Pelosi's husband has skull surgery after attack at SF home, sources say; suspect ID'd". KABC-TV. Los Angeles. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Ferris, Sarah; Wu, Nicholas; Hooper, Kelly (October 28, 2022). "Paul Pelosi told attacker he needed to use the bathroom, called 911 from there". POLITICO. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  13. ^ "Nancy Pelosi: Intruder was searching for US Speaker in attack on husband". BBC News. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  14. ^ Dorn, Sara (October 28, 2022). "Paul Pelosi Underwent Surgery After Alleged Hammer Attack At Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Home". Forbes. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c "Police are providing another update on the attack of Paul Pelosi". CNN. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  16. ^ Ensor, Josie; McTaggart, India (October 28, 2022). "US Midterms: Biden and Harris descend on Pennsylvania in desperate bid to save Democrats' campaign". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  17. ^ Hager, Mike; Morrow, Adrian (October 28, 2022). "Accused in assault on Nancy Pelosi's husband grew up in B.C." The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  18. ^ Tolan, Casey; Devine, Curt; Medina, Daniel; Kamp, Majlie; Murphy, Paul (October 28, 2022). "Suspect in Pelosi's attack posted multiple conspiracy theories". CNN. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Tolan, Casey; Devine, Curt; Medina, Daniel A.; de Puy Kamp, Majilie (October 28, 2022). "Alleged Paul Pelosi attacker posted multiple conspiracy theories". CNN. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Swan, Rachel; Gardiner, Dustin; Ravani, Sarah (October 28, 2022). "What we know about David DePape, man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Bindman, Ariana; Bote, Joshua; Regimbal, Alec (October 29, 2022). "What to know about alleged Pelosi attacker and his 'really creepy' group". San Francisco Gate. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  22. ^ "Man who attacked Pelosi's husband spread conspiracy theories about Jews". The Jerusalem Post. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  23. ^ "Governor Newsom Statement on Violent Assault on Paul Pelosi". gov.ca.gov. October 28, 2022.
  24. ^ "Mayor London Breed on Twitter". Twitter. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  25. ^ Frias, Lauren (October 28, 2022). "Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin flippantly addressed the violent attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband, saying it succeeded in getting her 'back to be with him in California'". Business Insider.
  26. ^ "Rand Paul calls out Nancy Pelosi's daughter as he wishes her husband a 'speedy recovery' from the early morning-attack that left him hospitalized". Insider. October 28, 2022.

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Attack_on_Paul_Pelosi&oldid=1118893221"