Good afternoon. Last night at approximately 2 o'clock in the morning. Well my family and I were asleep upstairs here at the governor's residence. One of the state troopers assigned to our detail banged on our door, woke us up and told us we had an emergency and needed to leave immediately. Together we secured all of our children. Our two dogs, our family that was staying with us. And the troopers safely evacuated us from the governor's residence. Last night we experienced an attack not just on our family. But on the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania here at the governor's residence. I want to thank the Pennsylvania State Police for safely evacuating our family for their bravery last evening. And for their careful leadership of this investigation. I want to thank Harrisburg Fire and their chief who was personally on the scene and spent time with me and my family last night. He and the other firefighters from Harrisburg ran toward danger. To help keep us safe. And quickly Putting out the fire I want to thank the Capitol Police for assisting the Pennsylvania State Police last night. In ensuring everything was orderly. I want to thank the FBI and our federal partners for their assistance. I spoke *** couple hours ago with Director Cash Patel of the FBI. He promised all of the resources of the federal government. He was extremely kind and courteous and thoughtful in his conversation with me, and I thanked him and the women and men of the FBI and the President of the United States for their support. Especially wanna thank your local district attorney Fran Chardo. Fran is someone I've known for 20 years in public service, outstanding leader in law enforcement. You'll hear from him in *** few moments. Laurie and I are. Laurie and I are overwhelmed. By the prayers And the messages of support that we've received from all across Pennsylvania and all across the United States. We've heard from our fellow governors and first spouses. We've heard from several of the former governors of Pennsylvania. Heard from so many friends and loved ones. And we've heard from so many caring citizens of this great commonwealth. I want you all to know that your prayers lift us up. And in this moment of darkness we are choosing to see light. We appreciate the light that you have shined upon us. Pennsylvania State Police led by Colonel Christopher Paris will brief on the specifics of what transpired. But we do know that this attack was targeted. We don't know the person's specific motive yet. But we do know *** few truths first. This type of violence is not OK. This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society. And I don't give *** damn if it's coming from one particular side or the other. Directed at one particular party or another or one particular person or another, it is not OK. And it has to stop. We have to be better than this. We have *** responsibility to all be better. Second If this individual was trying to deter me from doing my job as your governor. Rest assured I will find *** way to work even harder. than I was just yesterday for the good people of Pennsylvania. Here's *** third truth. If he was trying to terrorize our family. Our friends The Jewish community who joined us for *** Passover Seder in that room last night. Hear me on this. We celebrated our faith last night proudly, and in *** few hours we will celebrate our second Seder of Passover again proudly. No one. Will deter me or my family or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly. I am grateful To the good people of Pennsylvania. For giving me the honor to serve as their forty-eighth governor. I will continue to pour every ounce of my being into this work. I'm gonna do my best To be your governor And right now to be *** good husband and father to my family. We obviously traumatized by what occurred here last night. We are grateful to law enforcement for helping ease some of that trauma thanks to their outstanding work. They were here within seconds. And they did an extraordinary job, local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. I now want to bring up the colonel of the Pennsylvania State Police. To give you some specifics on the investigation. Followed by our district attorney Fran Chardo, and then we'll do our best to take *** few questions. Thank you, Governor. I'd like to begin by saying, On behalf of not only the Pennsylvania State Police but all of our partners federal uh to municipal. That our hearts and prayers are with you and your family during this very trying 14+ hours. I'd like to start off by preemptively offering that this is still very much very early in *** very active and dynamic investigation. And I can tell you that we're pursuing any and all leads. We have processed the crime scene and released it just recently. You will see imminently. How large and complex of *** scene that it is. Physical evidence has been gathered. And is in the process of being forensically analyzed both at the state police crime laboratories and also the Cumberland County Crime Laboratory and I'd like to mention them specifically. As uh the governor stated, the work done by Harrisburg Fire Department was absolutely instrumental in preventing. Any loss of life. Last evening To acknowledge again the Harrisburg police. And the major case team that the state police was able to put together. So to pause for *** moment that was comprised of and remains comprised of the Harrisburg Police Department. The Capitol Police, our partners from the FBI. I received multiple calls from the FBI SAC of Philadelphia who happens to be out of country, and yet he took the time to call as well as his assistant special agents in charge who are not only here with us but we've spoken to throughout this incident. I received *** call personally from the Attorney General. With an offer of any and all support. Received *** call personally from the US attorney acting for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. John Griganis offering any and all support of the US Attorney's office and as the governor said, who you will hear from shortly, the Dauphin County District attorney Fran Chardo. So I can confirm at this point, as we put out already, we are conducting an arson investigation. And we're conducting an attempted homicide and aggravated arson investigation. That is the paradigm that we've operated in. *** lot of the investigative tasks have focused on the who up until this point. Obviously we're trying to piece together very early on the exact sequence of events. We were late in coming out here. Because we were getting rapid information as it was occurring. And I'm pleased to announce that we do have an individual in custody. His name is Cody Ballmer, B *** L M E R. Age 38 With the Harrisburg Post Office address. In terms of the sequence of events, uh, because of the thrust of the investigation concentrating on the who, I want to be very deliberate in my comments as to the how and exactly the time frame. What I do feel confident in saying at this point is that we don't anticipate. Any charges for conspiracy, but again, I'd reiterate my qualifier that I mentioned earlier that we are still very much inside the 1st 24 hours, but at this point we do not anticipate that. Likewise, the quick action. Of the members of the governor's detail, not only his uh immediate family but some extended family members who were here, you will see from the physical plant behind me how grave the situation was and when this occurred, I will tell you again the exact sequence of events we will conduct *** full review, but I feel very confident in telling you that it occurred over an extremely brief period of time, uh, several minutes. And the quick action of those troopers last night immediately shifted to the safety of the governor and his family and his extended family. So, uh, we will certainly take *** look and have *** full competent and thorough investigation, but our hats are off to the quick action of all the first responders, not just within the state police, but as the governor said, Harrisburg Fire Department, who was instrumental in getting here quickly and getting the fire knocked down. Uh, we have kept tabs on, uh, the governor all day and we'll continue to do so. And at this point, I'd like to turn it over to District attorney Fran Chardo. Thank you. We have, uh, as, uh, the colonel indicated, uh, Cody Ballmer is in custody. uh, we are preparing *** criminal complaint to charge him. uh, this is not *** record yet, uh, but the charges will include, uh, attempted murder, uh, terrorism. Aggravated arson and aggravated assault against an enumerated person, these are all very serious charges as with any, uh, uh, charges, uh, the defendant is presumed innocent. uh, we will file those charges uh within the next, uh, several hours, and we will include *** probable cause affidavit which will detail, uh, the, the basis for this arrest. Uh, I can't uh give you *** lot of details because it won't be *** record. Uh, I can only give you the charges, but the, uh, criminal complaint and the affidavit will detail that, uh, further, uh, this very day. I want to commend, uh, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Capitol Police, and the other and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the other agencies that conducted this investigation. Uh, I was here this afternoon and, uh, witnessed the remarkable efforts. They did *** great job, uh, in bringing this to *** swift conclusion, and I'll tell you that they do this in every case that I work with them on, not just cases involving, uh, the governor in every case we are blessed to have, uh, great law enforcement agencies that work diligently, uh, in cases involving serious violence. Uh, as I say, we're gonna file that criminal complaint, uh, shortly, and you will have, uh, that complaint will speak for itself along with ***, uh, there'll be *** booking photograph that will be available, uh, later today, but we don't have that yet available and we're glad to take any questions you might have. Governor, I, I think everyone's. you OK. Um, thank you. I wanna ask, when you're hearing those charges though, knowing that someone tried to at the very least seriously injure or kill you and your family, are you, you know, reflecting today on that and, and just can you talk about your emotions there? Uh Honestly, I just right now wanna be um. *** good father and *** good husband and take care of my family. Uh, district attorney, is, is there anything you can tell us right now about how Mr. Ballmer accessed the property and how he left the property? Well, it's gonna speak for itself. I mean, he, he, uh, he entered it surreptitiously, uh, and he not far from here, he, he came over *** fence. I will tell you that, uh, and, uh, he was able to he act very surreptitiously and uh and then he uh he forcibly entered uh and then uh he set the fire. Do you know if he's gonna face federal charges? Uh, well, so we have the FBI involved. There'll be ***, ***, *** review of that by, uh by the US attorney. *** decision will be made. He may face both. They're separate sovereigns, and we're gonna pursue, uh, uh, make *** decision on that. It may, it may be both, but, uh, we always look at to determine where we can get the best justice. What did Ballmer say about his reasoning for, I mean, you guys, he's in custody. What does he say? So, uh, I think that we'll let the probable cause out if it speak for the, uh, for itself. Do you think that this could have been *** hate crime or politically motivated? I think that's *** question for the federal government or for the district attorney. It's not something I'm prepared to answer. Is breaking the fence over there to patch up, is that where he came in and was the fence damaged because of him? Yes, I will, uh, I'll turn it over to Lieutenant Colonel Bivens at this point. That was the point of, of ingress, uh, and as I said, we will be, uh, conducting *** multi-faceted review in terms of, uh, security measures and, and the exact timeline of how it happened, but I do feel very confident in saying that, uh. Certain steps of due diligence were taken by our people and um you know we are in their debt for getting the governor and his family uh immediate and extended out of the house when you see the uh physical plant behind me, it will be readily apparent how grave the situation was. Uh, one second, I'll turn it over to Lieutenant Colonel stand by. So this individual came over *** fence, uh, and, and right behind where all of you are standing right now, uh, he actively evaded uh troopers who were here to secure the residence even while they were searching for him, uh, on the property while they were searching is when he attacked, uh, at the residence, uh, broke in and set the fires, uh, so that was all playing out over *** period of several minutes. Uh, it was *** very quick event that occurred, um, and, uh, and again troopers were actively searching for him at the time. Uh, he had some homemade incendiary devices. Molotov cocktail. Uh, I'm not going to provide *** lot more detail, uh, on that right now. Uh, *** lot of material has been collected and, uh, is being analyzed, but I think, uh, you know, homemade device, uh, uh, describes it for right now. I know he was on the property before he started the fire. Uh, we knew that there had been *** breach on the property and we were searching to determine what the, uh, what, what had occurred, why there was *** breach. Will there be an increased security presence around the governor's mansion and will the FBI on site. So there will, uh, there is already *** security review under way to determine how we can ensure that we don't have *** repeat of *** situation like this, um, you know, we look at all aspects. Personnel, technical surveillance equipment, security equipment, all of that will be reviewed, and we will do our best to ensure that the governor and his family are safe in this residence. Did he make it into the residence itself, or was this something thrown through the window. He did make it into the residence. How did he get off the property and where was he apprehended? He exited the property the same way he came on. Back over the fence, uh, he was apprehended, uh, in the Harrisburg area, uh, *** short time ago. Governor, he talked about resilience, especially in light of Passover and and. Do you feel like being able to come back and say we're not going to stop celebrating this, especially in the motivation, whatever it was that happened here. You think it's important to show not just Pennsylvania but the whole country you're not gonna be fearful. I'm not fearful. I'm obviously emotional. I'm worried about my family. Uh, I want my kids to be OK. When we were In the state dining room last night gathered with the community and family and friends we told the story of Passover and it's *** story of going from bondage from slavery into freedom. Uh, I think it's an important story both literally and figuratively to tell, and I refuse to be trapped by the bondage, uh, that someone attempts to put on me. By attacking us as they did here last night, I refuse to let anyone who had evil intentions like that stop me from doing the work that I love, stop me from being *** leader of this commonwealth and looking out for all Pennsylvanians. I will not be deterred in my work and I will not be afraid to do that work. Um, who was in the house at the time, and, uh, how is your family feeling right now? I'm not gonna get into my family and who was in the house. I will tell you that, um, obviously, you know, when you get woken up at 2 o'clock in the morning with *** banging on the door from brave Pennsylvania State Police telling you you have to immediately evacuate, that's jarring, especially for children. Uh, they're doing OK now. Uh, they're all together, uh, and as I said shortly here we're gonna celebrate our second Seder together. We're gonna have more family time, um, and I trust that, uh, Laura and I will make sure our kids get through this well and listen to them, be there for their emotional needs, be there for. Uh, their mental health support, our mental health support, and making sure that, uh, everybody is, is able to get through this and continue on with our lives, me doing the important work I'm doing, my wife, our first lady doing the important work they're doing, and our kids being normal kids doing what they do. Governor, was there any question from *** security standpoint I'm sorry, I just didn't hear the beat of your questions. Any question from *** security standpoint, any discussions about having you come back to the scene so soon. And was this something you're not gonna get into my security. I've, I've total confidence in the Pennsylvania State Police to keep us safe. As far as the suspect in custody goes, where are we at right now in terms of warrants for the residents or or speaking to family members associated with the suspect? How is that going to play out now that all the federal agencies are involved, the one with the state? So there are currently searches underway, uh, some with consent, uh, warrants were necessary that will play out through the remainder of the evening, no doubt, and beyond if necessary. All of that information and evidence will be collected and. And work through the district attorney's office, *** decision, uh, at some point in the future, as the DA said, will be made whether there is anything that rises to the level of *** separate federal prosecution, but for right now we're operating all under uh state uh uh rules of evidence and, and, uh, procedures and and collecting what we need for the state charges. Did the suspect seem like he knew the layout of the mansion area and like where he planted the homeages that ice was very intentional. I, I, I don't know that we can, uh, yet fully characterize how much he knew that's all part of the ongoing investigation in terms of the layout. um, I will tell you that, uh, he clearly had *** plan. He was very methodical in his approach and, uh, uh, uh moved through it, uh, without *** lot of hurry again in *** very, uh, methodical planned. Uh, manner, uh, and, and carried it out, although in *** very short period of time when I said that he was in the residence he was inside for less, uh, less than *** minute, uh, it all happened very quickly and, and he was back out. How long was you on the property before that. Uh, that's all, uh, part of the investigation. We do have uh an idea because we know, uh, when we were alerted to the breach, uh, it was *** number of minutes, um, but, uh, uh, again, all of that is part of the ongoing review as to where he was and how that time was spent on the property. Let me just say, uh, one last thing and we're gonna wrap this up. um, Laurie and I and the kids just feel so honored to have the privilege the good people of Pennsylvania have given us to be able to live in this house. This house functions uh as *** welcoming place uh for for Pennsylvanians to come and and to learn and to celebrate uh and to be together. And that is *** direct result of the extraordinary work that the staff does here at the governor's residence led by Claire Ramsey. I wanna just say um they are traumatized by this as well. Laurie and I spoke to them earlier today to let them know that they're part of our family as we are theirs. Many of them have been here through multiple administrations, some as long as two decades. And we want them to know how much they are appreciated if you've ever come here on *** tour or you've been privileged to be here for an event, um, it's *** wonderful member of the governor's resident staff who greets you, who cares for you, who feeds you and who makes sure that you enjoy your visit. And I just want to say *** special thanks to them. They're going through *** lot right now. um, they know that Laurie and I have their backs, uh, and it's gonna take some time for them to work through this as well, but I told them, uh, we'll clean this up, we'll get it, uh, repaired, we'll get it rebuilt, we'll get rid of that smell of fire and smoke, uh, and we'll be back. Uh, very soon and we'll be back to welcome the community into this residence, uh, with the smiles and the warmth of the people that make up the staff. So I wanna thank all of you, um, for, uh, for, for your sensitivity here for those who are celebrating Passover. I wish you *** happy Passover. I know some are observing Palm Sunday and getting ready for Easter. I wanna wish you the very best as well. I want to thank you for, uh, for being here this afternoon.