|
NJ.com WANTAGH, NEW JERSEY A bullet struck the Sussex County home of conservative CNN commentator Lou Dobbs, but it is not known where the shot came from, State Police said today. No one was injured in the incident. Dobbs’ wife, Debi, 56, called police at 10:25 a.m. on Oct. 5 to report that she heard a gunshot at her home on Quarry Road, state police Sgt. Stephen Jones said. Debi Dobbs told police that she was standing outside the home with a man, later identified as a driver for Lou Dobbs, at the time of the incident. Lou Dobbs, 64 was not outside of the home at the time of the incident, and
a police report on the incident did not disclose his whereabouts, said
Jones. A police investigation found the bullet hit the vinyl siding near the roof of the home, located on a 300-acre farm, Jones said. The bullet did not penetrate the siding but was later found on the ground next to the home, he said. A search of the area around Dobbs’ home did not uncover any hunters or recreational gun enthusiasts, he said. Since the bullet did not penetrate the siding, Jones said the shot apparently was fired a long distance from the home and "probably came from a long rifle," meaning it did not come from a handgun or a shotgun. On his CNN show that aired Monday - three weeks after the incident - Dobbs told viewers that a "shot was fired at my house" and claimed the incident came following "weeks and weeks of threatening phone calls" that he did not report to police due to their frequency. Dobbs, the host and managing editor of CNN’s "Lou Dobbs Tonight," said his wife was standing next to their car at the time of the incident. He said the man standing outside the home with his wife as being his driver, whom he did not identify by name. Jones said state ballistics detectives are continuing their investigation to determine what type of bullet hit the Dobbs’ home.
WIRES WANTAGH, NEW JERSEY State police are investigating a shot fired at the Sussex County home of CNN commentator Lou Dobbs earlier this month. Sgt. Stephen Jones said no one was injured in the Oct. 5 incident, which took place at Dobbs’ 300-acre Wantage farm.
Wife Debi Dobbs called 911 at 10:25 a.m. that Monday to report she heard a gunshot while she and a male employee of her husband, later identified as a driver, were outside the home, Jones said.
An investigation revealed the bullet bounced off the siding near the roof, and dropped to the ground, Jones said.
It is believed to be a rifle round, and there are “indications it was fired from a long distance away” because it did not penetrate the siding, Jones said.
Police conducted a search in the area around the home and interviewed neighbors and people in the area, which Jones said did not reveal any leads.
Jones declined to speculate on whether the shooter was targeting the home or whether it was a hunter’s misfire, but said “it is not uncommon this time of year, toward hunting season, to have bullets shot at houses in rural areas.”
On Monday, Dobbs spoke about the incident on his show “Lou Dobbs Tonight” and said the incident is part of an assault against anyone who opposes leniency toward illegal immigrants.
“Three weeks ago, a shot was fired at my house where I live, my wife was standing out and that followed weeks and weeks of threatening phone calls,” Dobbs said. "It's become a way of life — the anger, the hate, the vitriol — but it's taken a different tone where they've threatened my wife.
Dobbs said he has been accompanied by bodyguards since the incident.
|
