Yahoo Finance 15-Year-Old Shot in Savannah While Allegedly Campaigning for Democrat Raphael Warnock
Jessica McGowan/Getty Images Sen. Raphael Warnock
A 15-year-old is recovering after being shot in the leg on Thursday while he was going door-to-door campaigning for Democrat Raphael Warnock, the Savannah Police Department says. According to the department, there is so far no indication the shooting was politically motivated.
Police officers responded to a shooting around 5:35 p.m. on Thursday and discovered a "15-year-old male victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg," the police department said.
The victim was transported to Memorial Medical Center for treatment of injuries which the department said were not life-threatening.
"According to the preliminary investigation, the teen was campaigning for Raphael Warnock for the upcoming run-off election when the incident occurred," the Savannah Police Department said in a release. "While at the front door of one of the residences on Hartridge Street, the suspect fired a shot through the closed door, striking the teen."
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Detectives have since arrested 42-year-old Savannah man Jimmy Paiz on charges of aggravated assault and aggravated battery. They say the investigation remains ongoing.
In a statement sent to various media outlets, Warnock — an incumbent Senator in Georgia currently running for reelection — said, "I am saddened to learn about this incident. I am praying for the victim and their family and wish them a full recovery."
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Georgia's Senate runoff, which is set for Tuesday, comes after Warnock, 53, and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker earned a near-equal share of votes in November's general election, with neither reaching the required 50% vote threshold to win the race outright.
Sen. Warnock, 53, won his first election in Jan. 2021 — another vote that went to a runoff — marking the first time since 2014 that Democrats gained control of the state, as 35-year-old Jon Ossoff also won for the Democratic Party that year.
