BY: JASON HANCOCK
Missouri Independent
A reporter for a Kansas City television station was struck by a bullet fragment Tuesday while covering a shooting range campaign event for Democrat Lucas Kunce.
Kunce, a Marine veteran hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, provided first aid to KSHB reporter Ryan Gamboa after a bullet fragment ricocheted off a target and struck him in the arm.
KSHB reports Gamboa’s injuries were minor and he was released from the hospital on Tuesday.
Kunce was holding an event at a shooting range near Kansas City with former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican. After the event, Kunce released a statement on social media reminding shooters to “always have your first aid kit handy.”
“Shrapnel can always fly when you hit a target like today,” Kunce said, “and you’ve got to be ready to go. We had four first aid kits, so we were able to take care of the situation, and I’m glad Ryan is okay and was able to continue reporting.”
Hawley was quick to mock Kunce for the shooting range incident, jokingly posting on social media: “I condemn all acts of violence against reporters and call on Kunce never to shoot another one.”
He added: “I know the Kunce campaign needed a shot in the arm, but this is taking it a little far.”
Kunce later responded by sharing video footage of Hawley fleeing from a mob of rioters after they breached the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, trying to block the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
“The last time Josh Hawley saw a gun,” Kunce wrote, garnering a response from Hawley’s spokeswoman: “You just shot someone, relax.”
Every public poll of the race has shown Hawley in the lead, with most putting the Republican up by double digits. And Missouri hasn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office since 2018.
But Kunce has consistently outraised Hawley, including in the last quarter where he reported raising $7.6 million compared to around $4 million for Hawley and a supportive political action committee. But Hawley ended the quarter with more cash on hand, finishing September with $2.6 million for the campaign’s homestretch compared with $1.5 million for Kunce.