RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A recent shooting at the Hickory residence of GOP congressional candidate Pat Harrigan's parents and young children caused no injuries but placed “tremendous stress” on the family in the final weeks of his campaign, Harrigan's mother said Thursday.

What You Need To Know

  • Republican Pat Harrigan is running against Democratic state Sen. Jeff Jackson for North Carolina's new 14th District based in western Charlotte

  • Harrigan's mother said she and her husband were watching television when a bullet shattered their laundry room window Oct. 18

  • Harrigan's children, 3 and 5, were asleep in the bedroom above the room where the bullet struck

  • The children have been relocated out of state “out of an abundance of caution after the shooting," Harrigan's mother said
Article - Your Voter Guide

Harrigan, a firearms manufacturer and U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, is running against Democratic state Sen. Jeff Jackson for an open U.S. House seat in North Carolina's new 14th District based in western Charlotte. The left-leaning district emerged from a long redistricting battle during which North Carolina redrew its congressional map to account for the additional seat it was awarded after the 2020 census.

Political analysts say the 2022 map favors Republicans in seven of the state’s 14 districts and favors Democrats in six, with one toss-up district in the Raleigh suburbs.

Marla Harrigan, 74, said Thursday that she and her husband, James Harrigan, were watching television down the hall when a bullet shattered their laundry room window on the night of Oct. 18. The Hickory Police Department responded to their 911 call and noted in the police report that the incident involved a firearm.

The congressional candidate's children, ages 3 and 5, were asleep in the bedroom directly above the room where the shooting occurred, Marla Harrigan said. The bullet came from a densely wooded area and did not wake the children.

She said the two children have been living with their grandparents in Hickory, about 57 miles northwest of Charlotte, for much of the campaign cycle. They have since been relocated out of state “out of an abundance of caution after the shooting," she said, adding that her son is urging his parents to leave town, as well.

“It's just disconcerting, especially with the children there," Marla Harrigan said. “This campaign is so stressful, and we feel so badly for our son because, you know, he's terribly stressed about his children ... and now they're gone, they're not with their parents and it's just very, very disruptive."

Hickory police spokesperson Kristen Hart said that the department has not made arrests related to the incident and that the investigation is ongoing.

Jordan Shaw, spokesperson for the Harrigan campaign, said the Republican candidate has received numerous death threats, which they've submitted to the police to aid their investigation.

“I’m focused on fixing the economy, lowering prices and keeping our streets safe,” Harrigan said in a statement Thursday. “And it’ll take more than a bullet and death threats to knock this Green Beret off that mission.”

The Jackson campaign said Thursday that it had pulled a television ad featuring one of Harrigan's homes in Hickory out of an "abundance of caution." 

"The home involved in the incident has never been featured in any of our advertising," campaign spokesman Tommy Cromie said in an email. He said the campaign supports the police investigation into the incident.