Congressman Gerry Connolly speaking at a protest outside the NRA’s national headquarters on Waples Mill Road in Fairfax County, VA. May 25, 2022. (Photo Credit: Office of Rep. Gerry Connolly)
FAIRFAX CITY, Va. | An assailant armed with a metal baseball-style bat charged into the office of Virginia 11th District U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly, (D) the morning of May 15 looking for the congressman and attacked staff sending two to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries according to the Fairfax City Police.
In a press release, Fairfax Police identified the suspect as 49-year-old Xuan Kha Tran Pham, a Fairfax County resident. Investigators told local media outlets that one of the victims was an intern who was on her first day on the job, the other a senior aide who was hit in her head with the metal bat. Pham also damaged parts of the office on the first floor of an office building at at 10680 Main Street by breaking glass and shattering computers.
#PressRelease
— Fairfax City Police (@FairfaxCityPD) May 15, 2023
Malicious Wounding Arrest@CityofFairfaxVA pic.twitter.com/jwCAXfszoV
On Monday afternoon, Connolly released the following statement:
“This morning, an individual entered my District Office armed with a baseball bat and asked for me before committing an act of violence against two members of my staff. The individual is in police custody and both members of my team were transferred to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Right now, our focus is on ensuring they are receiving the care they need. We are incredibly thankful to the City of Fairfax Police Department and emergency medical professionals for their quick response.
“I have the best team in Congress. My District Office staff make themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day. The thought that someone would take advantage of my staff’s accessibility to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating.”
NBC News has reported that Pham filed a lawsuit against the CIA last year in which he claimed the agency had been “wrongfully imprisoning [him] in a lower perspective based on physics,” and alleging that he is being “brutally tortured… from the fourth dimension.”
The complaint, which seeks $29 million in damages, aligns with the beliefs of conspiracy theorists who claim they are being “gangstalked,” or secretly watched and psychologically tortured using nonexistent technology.
Rep. Connolly is a long term ally of the LGBTQ+ community in suburban Fairfax County, Virginia where he has previously served as the Chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
He is an original cosponsor of the Equality Act and was one of the voices in opposition to the ban by former President Trump on the military service by transgender Americans. The Human Rights Campaign has recognized Congressman Connolly commitment to LGBTQ+ Americans as an ally with a 100% rating for a sixth consecutive term.
The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: https://nationallgbtmediaassociation.com/
