Holly MatkinSt. Louis, MO – U.S. Representative Cori Bush’s (D-Missouri) vehicle was damaged by gunfire early Saturday morning while parked in an undisclosed area of the city.
Information about incident came from a source close to Bush who was not authorized to speak about what occurred, KSDK reported.
Bush, one of the leading faces of the Defund the Police movement, was not inside the vehicle at the time of the shooting, according to the source.
Other vehicles parked near Bush’s car had evidence indicating someone tampered with door handles and it was not believed the congresswoman was targeted, KSDK reported.
Bush said experiencing this “act of gun violence” was terrifying.
“Like far too many of us in St. Louis, experiencing gun violence is all too familiar,” she told KSDK. “Thankfully no one was harmed. But any act of gun violence shakes your soul.”
Bush said it is because of incidents like this that her “movement” is focusing on making the community safer.
“No one should have to fear for their safety here in St. Louis and that is exactly why our movement is working every day to invest in our communities, eradicate the root causes of gun violence, and keep every neighborhood safe,” she told KSDK.
Bush also tweeted about her car being shot back in June of 2020.
“My car took the bullets. I am safe,” she wrote at the time. “When I say that I am the people I serve, it’s not a slogan!”
She also shared photos of the bullet holes in her vehicle after that incident.
“A bullet went through my door handle on one side of the car, another went through my tire on the other side,” Bush wrote. “I’m committed to taking us from ‘surviving St. Louis’ to ‘living it.’”
My car took the bullets. I am safe.
When I say that I am the people I serve, it’s not a slogan!
A bullet went through my door handle on one side of the car, another went through my tire on the other side.
I’m committed to taking us from “surviving St. Louis” to “living it.” pic.twitter.com/iBqSSzc43G
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) June 11, 2020
Despite her push to defund the police, Bush has spent at least $70,000 in campaign funds to pay for her own private security since she took office.
Bush was widely criticized for being a hypocrite when the information about her security budget went public.
But the controversial congresswoman told CBS News in an interview in August of 2021 that her decision to spend tens of thousands of dollars on private security for herself is why she is “here standing now.”
She said the people who are criticizing her are actually the ones to blame for her “need” for security.
“We’re talking about the same exact people who say horrible things about me – who lie to build up their base – and then because they lie about me, I receive death threats,” Bush declared.
“I have private security because my body is worth being on this planet right now! I have private security because they, the white supremacist racist narrative that they drive into this country, the fact that they don’t care that this black woman that has put her life on the line, they can’t match my energy, first of all,” she rambled, waving her arms wildly.
Bush said she is going to make sure she is protected no matter what.
“I’m gonna make sure I have security because I know I have had attempts on my life,” she claimed. “I have too much work to do. There are too many people that need help right now for me to allow that. So, if I end up spending $200,000, if I end up spending 10, 10, 10 more dollars on it – you know what? I get to be here to do the work. So, suck it up!”
