Armed man lunges at Ohio governor candidate Amy Acton at Canfield Fair

An armed person lunged at Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton at the Canfield Fair in Ohio, injuring several people. Acton was unharmed and stayed to assist the injured.

Armed man lunges at Ohio governor candidate at Canfield Fair, several injured

An armed individual "lunged" at Amy Acton, Ohio's Democratic nominee for governor, injuring several people at the Canfield Fair in Mahoning County on Sunday, nbcnews.com reports. Acton, a physician, was not hurt.

Campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock confirmed the incident and said Acton remained on site after the attack to assist one of the people who had been injured. A photo shared by a fair attendee with NBC News showed her doing so.

"Amy and Eric are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured," Bullock said. "This kind of violence has no place in Ohio. Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another."

The incident took place during Acton's visit to the annual fair near Youngstown, while she was at the Mahoning County Democratic Party's tent. Christopher Anderson, chair of the county Democratic Party, said the attack was "reprehensible and should be condemned by leaders on all sides of the aisle."

"MCDP is grateful for the quick response by our local law enforcement officials as well as the Ohio State Highway Patrol providing Dr. Acton security," Anderson wrote on Facebook.

The full extent of injuries to others was not immediately known. Canfield police told NBC News they had no immediate information about the incident or a suspect. The Ohio State Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Acton previously served as Ohio's health director under term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine during the early period of the Covid pandemic. She now faces Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy — a businessman who ran for president in 2024 — in the November general election to choose DeWine's successor. Polls have indicated a close race.

Ramaswamy had also been scheduled to appear at the fair on Sunday afternoon. His spokesperson, Connie Luck, said in an emailed statement: "Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence. What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope … that no one was hurt."

DeWine issued a statement Sunday saying he and his wife had spoken with Acton and were relieved she was not injured. "Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable," DeWine said. "This case is now in the hands of law enforcement and will be investigated thoroughly."

Senator Jon Husted, a Republican who previously served as lieutenant governor alongside DeWine and Acton, said on X that he and his wife were "disturbed by the attempted attack." He added that law enforcement's quick response was appreciated and that "there is no place for this kind of behavior."

One person was taken into custody following the altercation, according to local station WKBN.

Source: Google News MT