Lee Vogler Fire Attack Update: Man Intended to Kill Virginia Politician, Police Say

A man accused of dousing a Virginia city councilman with gasoline and setting him on fire told investigators he intended the attack to be fatal, according to charging documents released Thursday. Police say the motive appears personal and unrelated to Councilman Lee Vogler’s work in public office.

Vogler, 38, a father of two, was flown to a North Carolina burn unit after Wednesday’s attack. His condition was not immediately available. Police said Shotsie Michael Buck‑Hayes, 29, barged into Vogler’s workplace at a local magazine, poured gasoline on him, chased him outside and ignited the fuel. Charging documents say Buck‑Hayes later admitted he wanted the flames to kill Vogler.

Buck‑Hayes is charged with attempted first‑degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding. He is being held without bail in the Danville City Jail. Edward Lavado, his attorney, declined to comment Thursday.

Witnesses and Vogler himself identified Buck‑Hayes as the attacker, the documents say. Andrew Scott Brooks, editor and publisher of Showcase Magazine, said the suspect forced his way into the office despite the door being locked. “The next thing, Lee is running through the office covered in gasoline, yelling for our officemate to call 911,” Brooks said.

Vogler’s wife, Blair, thanked first responders and praised her husband’s resilience. “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,” she said. “Lee is a fighter.”

Vogler has served on the Danville City Council for more than a decade and is considered a well‑known figure in the small city near the Virginia‑North Carolina state line, about 140 miles north of Charlotte. The charging documents list Buck‑Hayes as a Danville resident.

This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.