NATIONAL NEWS

Virginia city councilman set on fire in local magazine office

Jul 30, 2025, 11:21 AM | Updated: 6:30 pm

DANVILLE, Va. (AP) — A city councilmember in Virginia was set on fire by a man who entered a local magazine office, police said Wednesday.

Investigators believe the attack stemmed from a “personal matter” and was unrelated to his politics or work as councilman, authorities said.

Lee Vogler, 38, is an elected official in Danville, Virginia.

Police say the suspect entered Vogler’s office, where he works at a local magazine, confronted him and doused him in flammable liquid. Both men then left the building and the 29-year-old suspect set Vogler on fire, police said.

His condition wasn’t immediately known. The suspect was in police custody.

Vogler has served on the Danville City council for more than 12 years and is currently serving his 4th term. He’s married with two children. Vogler is a managing partner at the Andrew Brooks Media Group, a marketing firm that publishes several regional magazines and operates a branded merchandise website and a music publishing company, according to its website.

He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2010 and returned to his hometown to run for office. He formed a group in 2010 called Moving Danville Forward, to come up with ideas to revitalize the city.

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Virginia city councilman set on fire in local magazine office