(THOMASVILLE, NC.) — CBS News reports that another power distribution center in North Carolina has sustained damage from gunfire, according to energy officials on Tuesday. The incident took place in Thomasville, a town of about 25,000 in the Winston-Salem metro area.
The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office said on Tuesday that police responded to a call about vandalism. “Investigators recovered evidence from the scene and canvassed the surrounding areas gathering additional information,” the office said. “Based on information gathered, investigators believe the incident occurred around 3:00 a.m. The investigation is ongoing.”
EnergyUnited, the operator of the plant, said that company officials learned of an “equipment issue,” and dispatched crews to assess the situation. They found at the scene that a transformer had been damaged “from an apparent gunshot.”
“It wasn’t random,” said the Moore County Sherrif Ronnie Fields about the attacks on December 3 of 2022. Authorities believe that the attacks are targeted, but a motivation remains unclear.
The damage comes after a chain of other attacks on power substations, both in the state of North Carolina and across the nation.
Local news, including the Fayetteville Observer, reported at the time that the December attacks may have been connected to a drag show which took place in Moore County.