Authorities have apprehended a Georgia man accused of tearing down a Trump 2024 banner and firing shots at a residence in North Carolina.
Benjamin Michael Campbell, aged 37, was arrested in Georgia on September 30 and subsequently extradited to North Carolina by October 7, as confirmed by the Swain County Sheriff’s Office.
He is now facing serious charges, including felony assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill or cause severe injury, firing a gun within an enclosure to create fear, and causing deliberate damage to personal property.
According to allegations, Campbell removed a “Trump” banner from an old sign at a North Carolina residence. Afterward, while driving away, he reportedly opened his sunroof and fired shots toward the homeowner.
The incident allegedly occurred on September 6 when Campbell was speeding down a highway in Nantahala Gorge, N.C. According to Mark Thomas, who spoke to the New York Post, Campbell noticed the flag in Thomas’s yard and decided to tear it down. He then allegedly fired several shots from his car’s sunroof, narrowly missing Thomas, as captured in video footage of the event.
He allegedly tore down the banner before firing multiple shots at Thomas from the sunroof of his car, missing him by just a few feet, according to video of the incident.
“He was driving along, saw the sign, slammed on his brakes — you know, had a political trigger moment — and he just had to tear the sign down,” Thomas, 62, told the Daily Mail.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Thomas for comment.
Police responded to the scene, but Campbell had driven off by the time they arrived, authorities said.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally. (Fox News)
Investigators later obtained a video of the confrontation that Thomas posted to YouTube, according to the sheriff’s office.
“I’m a Trump supporter,” Thomas told the Daily Mail. “I have weapons for my protection and my enjoyment, and I keep them handy. You know, what good are they if you can’t get to them when you need them? So I reached over and grabbed my rifle.”
Thomas compared the incident to the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, which occurred four days later on Sept. 10.
“Charlie Kirk — you know, his incident was absolutely tragic,” he said. “No one died here in my yard, but flip the coin, snap your fingers, somebody could have died here. And it’s very similar to the Charlie Kirk incident.”
An image of slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk is placed at a memorial in his honor, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The State Department said it has revoked the visas of several foreigners over negative comments about Kirk’s assassination. (Jim Urquhart/Reuters)
“The same type of people are the ones behind both shootings,” he added. “It’s becoming much more common.”
