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DANVILLE, Va. — Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler was attacked and set on fire outside the Professional Building on Main Street downtown on Wednesday, police and a witness said.

Police charged Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, 29, with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding following the attack, the Danville Police Department said Wednesday afternoon. Danville in located in the Southside region of Virginia along the North Carolina border.

Hayes is being held in the Danville City Jail under no bond and the incident remains under investigation.

Vogler and the suspect know each other and the attack stemmed from a personal matter unrelated to Vogler's politics or his role as councilman, according to city police.

Vogler was taken to a burn unit at a hospital in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and his condition wasn’t immediately known, Vogler’s father, Jack Vogler Sr., told The Associated Press. UNC Health declined to comment on Vogler’s condition Wednesday afternoon.

Andrew Brooks, publisher and owner at Showcase Magazine, confirmed the incident in a social media video. Vogler is managing partner for Andrew Brooks Media Group, where the attack took place.  

A man forced his way into the office with a five-gallon container of gasoline, poured the gas on Vogler and chased him out of the building and set him on fire, Brooks said in the video.

"Lee is awake and talking and en route to the burn center," Brooks said. "Our hearts and prayers are with him."

"This type of senseless act of violence has to stop," Brooks said. "You do not have the right as a human being to get upset at someone enough to lash out and attempt to harm them in any way, much less this way."  

According to a news release from the Danville Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 700 block of Main Street for a report of a male being set on fire at about 11:30 a.m.

The Danville Fire Department and the Danville Life Saving Crew also responded to the scene.

The extent of the Vogler's injuries were not known, according to the news release.

The suspect left the scene, however witness information provided a description of the suspect and his vehicle, according to police.

Officers located and stopped the vehicle several blocks from the incident and Hayes was taken into custody without incident, according to the news release.

"Today, our community was shaken by an unthinkable act of violence against Councilman Lee Vogler — our colleague, our friend, and someone we care about deeply," Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones said in a prepared statement. "Lee is a member of our City Council family, and today, that family is hurting. Our prayers are with Lee and his loved ones. We are grateful to our first responders and law enforcement for their swift action. Our Council is close. We’ve worked through challenges together — and now, we face this heartbreak together."

Jones and Vice Mayor James Buckner urged everyone to continue to pray for  Vogler and his family.

"We’re standing with him — and with each other," Jones said.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Tammy Brankley Mulchi, R-Mecklenburg, called the incident a "deeply troubling attack."

"I want to wholeheartedly condemn this act of violence and express my full support for the efforts to bring the assailant to justice. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Lee over the last couple of years and the one thing I know that he loves more than representing the people of Danville is the love of his family. I pray during this difficult time for his swift and complete recovery. Violence like this has no place in our community and should not be tolerated! I am keeping Lee along with his family and all those affected by this tragic event in my prayers!"

And Gov. Glenn Youngkin, too, released a statement: "Our prayers go out to Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler who was violently attacked at his workplace earlier today. We pray for a swift recovery for Lee and peace to be on the entire Danville community."

The brazen incident also troubled Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who has visited Danville countless times as both governor and senator.

"The violent attack on Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler is deeply upsetting," Kaine wrote in a statement.

"I’m praying for Lee’s full recovery and for his family," he continued. "I’m thankful law enforcement swiftly identified and apprehended a suspect."

First elected to Danville's council in 2012 as the youngest person ever elected to the position, Vogler was reelected in November as the top vote-getter among nine candidates for four seats.

He is chairman of the Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facility Authority and is a past president and current member of the Danville Kiwanis Club. 

A 2010 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in political science, Vogler also serves on the Staunton River Regional Industrial Facility Authority. 

He also serves on the Danville-Pittsylvania Metropolitan Planning Organization and the West Piedmont Planning District Commission and has served several years on the executive committee for the Harry Johnson Holiday Classic, according to his biographical information on the Danville City Council web page.  

Vogler was recognized in 2017 as Virginia Local Legislator of the Year by the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association. He was also appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to the Virginia Small Business Commission in 2022.