A woman pointed a gun at Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) Sunday night in a church parking lot in Spartanburg County, S.C., according to police.
Gowdy was uninjured in the incident and was able to drive home following the ordeal, the Spartanburg Public Safety Department said in a statement. The terrifying incident occurred at around 8:10 p.m. at First Baptist Church Spartanburg. Gowdy was waiting to pick up his daughter when the woman pulled a gun on him.
The woman, identified by police as Gloria Brackett, 52, was arrested. However, police have not determined the woman's motive for targeting Congressman Gowdy.
Referring to the official police report, Politico explains:
Brackett asked Gowdy to “stop following her,” the police report says. Gowdy replied that he wasn’t following her but was merely waiting for a family member. After another similar interaction, Gowdy put his car in reverse, and Brackett chased the vehicle on foot. He drove directly to the police department and was escorted back to the church by police officers to pick up his family member.
During a news conference on Monday, a Spartanburg Public Safety Department spokesman said there was nothing found in Brackett's profile that suggests she knew Gowdy was a congressman or that she was part of a political extremist group, Politico reports. Gowdy is a fierce and outspoken critic of President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder and Operation Fast and Furious.
Gowdy's office released the following statement Monday:
"Mr. Gowdy is grateful to the Spartanburg Public Safety Department for their help last night and especially for helping make sure his daughter was safe. Given the fact that this is an ongoing investigation with a subsequent prosecution, Mr. Gowdy will not be making any additional comments."
