HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has reopened to the public his official residence that was closed after an arsonist's fire engulfed one of its wings. A former state police commissioner is studying the residence's security and fundraising is in the works to help cover the millions of dollars in damage to the property.
The first public event took place Tuesday — an Easter egg hunt for children on the west lawn — nine days after the fire.
Shapiro said Jeffrey Miller, a former state police commissioner who went on to lead security for the NFL, is conducting a security review and that former governors and first ladies are raising money to help cover the cost to restore the damaged rooms.
Shapiro also said President Donald Trump called him to see how he was doing.
How has Shapiro handled it?
Shapiro has thanked police and firefighters for rescuing him and his family. While he said there were security failures, he also professed confidence in the state police's ability to protect him and improve security at the three-story brick Georgian-style residence.
“And I have confidence that they’re going learn from this experience and make our systems even tighter,” Shapiro said Tuesday.
Shapiro, who is Jewish and viewed as a potential White House contender for the Democratic Party in 2028, has been emotional about the fire. He fought back tears at his initial press conference when he said he and his wife Lori were "overwhelmed by the prayers and the messages of support" they'd received from across the U.S.
He also has said he is unbowed and will not live in fear. The attack came during the Jewish holiday of Passover, but Shapiro has declined to speculate on the arsonist's motives or whether it was religiously motivated.
Shapiro expects to begin staying at the residence again in the coming days as workers tear out fire-damaged floors, walls and ceilings.
Who is the suspect?
Cody Balmer, 38, has been jailed since turning himself in, on charges that include attempted homicide, arson, assault and burglary. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 28 to determine whether the case will go to trial. Balmer has not entered a plea.
The rooms he is accused of setting alight in the early hours of April 13 were where Shapiro’s family had held the Passover Seder just hours earlier.
The fire caused millions of dollars of damage, according to fire officials, but no injuries. State troopers roused Shapiro, his wife, kids and members of his extended family and evacuated them down a rear staircase to escape the blaze.
Balmer's mother and brother say he suffers from mental illness, something that Balmer denied in his only court appearance. Authorities say Balmer expressed hatred for Shapiro and say they are investigating whether he was motivated by religious or political bias.
Police affidavits say Balmer was asked what he might have done had he encountered Shapiro while in the residence — and that he said he would have hit the governor with the hammer he carried that night.
Police have seized Balmer’s cellphones, lap top computer and digital hard drive and are examining them for signs of a motive. Balmer’s public defender, meanwhile, said Balmer will undergo an examination of his competency to stand trial.
What’s the deal with the residence’s security?
The residence has a nearly 7-foot (2.1-meter) iron security fence, movement sensors on the grounds and video cameras ringing the property, which covers half a city block in Harrisburg along the Susquehanna River. It is bordered on three sides by public streets and on the fourth by an alleyway. State troopers provide security.
After Balmer allegedly scaled the fence from the alleyway around 2 a.m. on April 13, he tripped a movement sensor that prompted a trooper to investigate.
Balmer eluded the trooper in the darkness, crossed the grounds and used a hammer to smash a window that looked into dining areas where the governor typically entertains crowds, police say. Balmer ignited a beer bottle filled with gasoline and threw it inside, broke another adjacent window and, after crawling inside, ignited a second glass bottle filled with gasoline and threw it, police say.
Video cameras in the residence showed Balmer kicking open a doorway outside and slipping off into the night minutes later, police say.
Will federal charges be filed?
Federal investigators aren’t commenting.
On the day of the arson, Shapiro and Pennsylvania State Police officials said they had been in touch with the FBI. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who is Jewish, called for a federal hate crimes investigation.
Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, described the arson as “absolutely horrific,” said she believes the alleged culprit “wanted to kill” Shapiro. She vowed to help state law enforcement by doing “anything we can to help convict the person who did this.”
Trump called Shapiro on Saturday.
“He was very gracious. He asked how Lori and the kids were doing. We talked for a couple minutes about what transpired at the residence and then we talked about for maybe the next 15 minutes or so about a whole host of other topics,” Shapiro said.
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