A father and son in a pickup truck waving a Trump campaign flag were shot at after honking at a Joe Biden supporter installing a Black Lives Matter sign, police allege.
Douglas Kuhn, 50, is being held without bail for allegedly firing a shotgun at Neal Houk and son Bradly Lang in Maryland on Saturday afternoon.
The judge hearing the case before Baltimore County District Court on Monday was furious that the current political climate had come to this.
“How did it get to the point where he pulls out a shotgun? What has the world come to? This is beyond belief. Free speech. Why resort to weaponry. This could have been horrible,” said judge Philip Tirabassi, according to WBAL 11.
Shots fired over political signs ➡️ @BaltCoPolice say a man putting a campaign sign in his yard fired shots at a honking/passing truck on Saturday. Neighbors say the truck displayed Trump campaign signs.
50yo Douglas Kuhn is in jail & facing assault charges. @FOXBaltimore pic.twitter.com/p7LpEzAmCc
— Amy Simpson (@AmySimpsonTV) October 19, 2020
Mr Houk told the outlet he just was doing a neighbourly act to honk at the Biden supporter they saw putting up a Black Lives Matter sign outside his home on Cedar Lane in Kingsville, Baltimore County.
“It’s Kingsville, it’s a friendly area. Everyone honks at each other. We think we were hoping there could be some civility between people who support different candidates,” Mr Lang said.
“We were looking right down the barrel of a shotgun,” he continued. “He picked up a shotgun from near his feet and ran towards us aiming it and we got 100, 200 feet down the road, he began to fire. We were scared, although we were happy that he missed, the truck was missed and we were alright.”
Mr Kuhn was arrested and charged with first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and using a firearm in the commission of a crime. Two firearms were also confiscated from his property.
He will be released to serve home detention until his next court appearance.
Neighbour David Franz, who has lived in the area for more than 35 years, told Fox 5 News Baltimore that Mr Kuhn moved into the neighbourhood about a year ago.
“I never asked what his political affiliations were and I really don’t care. You’re entitled to put up whatever you want on your property,” Mr Franz said.
Several neighbours told the outlet that there have been multiple instances where Mr Kuhn’s “Biden-Harris 2020” and “Black Lives Matter” signs would be taken down, and go up again, and be taken down again over several days.
“The ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign was down and one of the Biden signs was down – they’re flags that were torn down,” Mr Franz said.
