FBI Investigating Mysterious Gunfire Incident

(DailyVantage.com) – In early December, two power substations in North Carolina came under a unique attack as someone breached their gates and opened fire at the equipment. The result was tens of thousands of local-area residents losing power, and schools shut down for several days while repair crews worked to restore electricity. Crews eventually fixed those substations. That’s not the end of the story, however. Another North Carolina substation recently came under fire, painting a disturbing trend.

On Tuesday, January 17, EnergyUnited officials responded to an alarm going off at the Pleasant Hill Substation in Randolph County. Initial reports pointed to equipment issues, but further investigation revealed that the transformer had damage “from an apparent gunshot,” according to Newsmax.

Another substation in North Carolina – this time in Randolph County – has been damaged by gunfire.

More than six weeks later, it's still not know who attacked the one in Moore County https://t.co/mZSn602tbv

— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) January 19, 2023

This discovery led to the energy company calling in local authorities, who also notified their federal counterparts. According to a statement from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, it notified the FBI and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations (SBI). Fortunately, there were no power outages this time.

The incident seems to be part of a more disturbing trend of attacks on electric companies. Washington and Oregon have both seen multiple attacks on substations in the last three months as well, including four in Washington on Christmas Day. While this is the second time a substation has come under fire in North Carolina in recent months, an FBI Charlotte Division spokesperson said it’s “too early in the investigation to determine whether this case is connected to the ongoing investigation in Moore County.” Authorities haven’t arrested anyone yet in connection with those attacks last month.

Officials are asking anyone who may have information about this attack to contact the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office of Criminal Investigations by calling 336-318-6658 or submitting an anonymous tip through the app. They can also reach out to the county’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 336-672-7463.