Teen canvasser for Raphael Warnock shot ahead of Georgia Senate runoff
WASHINGTON – A teenager canvassing for Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock was shot and injured Thursday — days before next week’s crucial runoff election.
The Savannah Police Department said 42-year-old Jimmy Paiz was arrested and accused of shooting the 15-year-old in the leg through the front door of his home at around 5:35 p.m.
The teen was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities added.
“The case remains under investigation,” the Savannah police statement read. “At this point, there is no indication the shooting was politically motivated.”
Paiz faces charges of aggravated assault and aggravated battery and was booked into the Chatham County jail.
“I am saddened to learn about this incident,” Warnock said in a statement to WSAV-TV. “I am praying for the victim and their family and wish them a full recovery.”
Friday is the last day of early voting in Georgia ahead of the Dec. 6 runoff, which pits Warnock against Republican Herschel Walker.
Warnock is running for a full six-year term after initially winning election to the Senate by defeating Republican Kelly Loeffler in a special runoff in January of 2021.
In the Nov. 8 general election, Warnock received 49.4% of the vote to 48.5% for Walker, the former football star who won the 1982 Heisman Trophy for the University of Georgia’s Bulldogs.
Georgia law requires runoff elections when neither candidate in a race reaches at least 50% of the vote. Libertarian Chase Oliver, who played a spoiler in the general election by receiving 2.1% of the vote, will not be on the ballot next week.
Read the full article Here
