Oregon library shot at with pellet gun after displaying pride flag, police say
A pride flag displayed at a library in Newberg, Oregon, was shot at with a pellet gun this week, according to police, who are investigating it as a possible hate crime.
A pride flag displayed at a library in Newberg, Oregon, was shot at with a pellet gun this week, according to police, who are investigating it as a possible hate crime. The alleged act of vandalism marks the latest in a slew of similar attacks across the country within days of the start of Pride Month.
Newberg Public Library shared an image of the alleged vandalism on its Facebook account Wednesday and said in a statement that no one was injured. The image shows a rainbow flag displayed behind a shattered window.
Robert Mitchell, a detective with the Newberg-Dundee Police Department, said in a phone call that no other parts of the building were visibly damaged and that the incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime. Mitchell declined to say if police believe that one or possibly multiple people shot at the library’s exterior. No arrests have been made, he added.
The mayor of Newberg, a town about 25 miles southwest of Portland, condemned the act as “abhorrent” and vowed to find the person or people behind it.
“Whether or not the coward(s) who performed this act had an ulterior motive, misses the point,” Newberg Mayor Bill Rosacker said in a statement. “The act was an attack on the citizens of Newberg and will not be allowed to pass without consequences.”
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