A bullet shattered the window of a vehicle parked in front of the home and campaign headquarters of congressional candidate Daniel Hernandez Thursday evening, he and police say.
A 911 call was made to police dispatchers about 5:15 p.m., reporting vandalism in the area of South Tenth Avenue and West 22nd Street. The caller said a vehicle was possibly struck by a bullet, police said.
When officers arrived they found βevidence consistent with a gun being fired.β
Photos provided by Hernandez, show a shattered driverβs side window of a vehicle that belongs to a campaign staffer. It also shows a bullet on the driverβs side seat.
The driver's side window of a staffers car was struck by a bullet as it was parked in the street in front of the home and campaign headquarters for Daniel Hernandez, police say.
Officers responded and took evidence from the scene, but would not say how many bullets or casings were located.
Hernandez said Friday a news conference outside of the home they believe the shooting occurred around 1-4:30 p.m. He said the vehicle was parked on the street in front of the homeβs dining room window, where four campaign staffers and Hernandezβs mother were working out of.
He said nobody in the home heard a gunshot, and the shot-out window was not discovered until about 4:30 p.m. He said no other damage to the vehicle was noticed, nor were there any signs of theft or stolen property outside from the car.
A bullet casing was found on the driver's seat after a window of a car belonging to a staffer for Daniel Hernandez was shot out.
The home was not a confirmed target, police said, adding the investigation into the incident is ongoing. Hernandez is not listed as a victim on the police report.
Hernandez said that although the motive for the shooting has yet to be determined, βthe fact that this happened just steps from where my family sleeps and our team works is deeply unsettling.β
Hernandez noted that as a survivor of gun violence, the threat against himself and his family is βall too real.β
Hernandez was an intern for then-congresswoman Gabby Giffords when a gunman opened fire in 2011 as she talked with constituents outside a grocery store on the northwest side. Giffords was shot in the head and Hernandez has been credited among others with helping save her life. Six people were killed, and 13 were injured in the mass shooting.
From 2012 to 2014, Hernandez was the state director of Everytown for Gun Safety, advocating for gun violence prevention legislation to make communities safer across Arizona.
Siblings Daniel, Alma and Consuelo Hernandez, as well as their rabbi, Stephanie Aaron, all alluded to this being an act of targeted violence during a news conference outside of the house, but all said they did not want to speculate whether it was meant to specifically target them, the campaign or the home.
Alma Hernandez, a state representative, said this is not the first time the family has experienced βsomething here at our home.β She said she moved into the home in 2021. Daniel Hernandez said he moved in shortly after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.
βItβs obviously very concerning, because we are not strangers to threats ... and it should be very troubling for anyone, regardless of party politics,β Alma Hernandez said Friday. βI donβt know any other community member or politician that has to deal with what weβve had to deal with ... Itβs a really unfortunate time for our family.β
Consuelo Hernandez, a sibling and also a state representative, said she was coming back to Tucson from Phoenix when her brother called her about the incident. Consuelo said it reminded her of the call she received after the Giffords shooting.
βIt is such a difficult feeling to process knowing that weβre not safe in our own home. It doesnβt matter if youβre an elected official or not, which I am, my brother was a former elected official, (and) my sister is a current elected official,β a visibly shaken Consuelo Hernandez said.
βWe grew up on the south side of Tucson, itβs very common, unfortunately, the amount of times that I as a young person had to hide under the kitchen table because of the gunshots in my neighborhood. My heart goes out to everybody whoβs lost a loved one to gun violence,β she said.
Daniel Hernandez is one of five Democrats running in the primary election to win the seat of longtime Tucson Congressman RaΓΊl Grijalva, who died in March. The other Democratic hopefuls are Adelita Grijalva, Patrick Harris Sr., Deja Foxx and JosΓ© Malvido Jr.
Three Republican also are running in the primary. They are Daniel Butierez, Jorge Rivas and Jimmy Rodriguez.
The registration deadline to vote in the July 15 primary is Monday, June 16. Early voting begins next week on June 18.
Police said anyone with information about the shooting should call 911 or 88-CRIME, the anonymous tip line.
Congressional candidate Daniel Hernandez looks on while Alma Hernandez, his sister and a state representative talks to reporters Friday during a news conference about gunfire that struck a car outside the family's Tucson home.
