AUBURN, Wash. — A candidate for state representative in the 30th Legislative District in King County said he was shot twice at close range by a BB gun Thursday night while placing campaign signs.
Pastor Carey Anderson said he was in unincorporated Auburn when someone shot the BB gun at him from a vehicle.
Anderson said things could have been much worse after suffering minor injuries.
"I do believe that if it had been a real gun, I'd be dead or in the hospital and unable to walk," Anderson said.
Now, he and his team have a new concern on the campaign trail.
"Canvassing while Black; you're in danger and in jeopardy," Anderson said.
The King County Sheriff's Office confirmed Anderson called 911, and deputies responded to the scene and filed a report.
"The case is open, and we have no suspect information to provide at this time," the sheriff's office told KING 5.
Anderson said he believes the incident was racially motivated. If a suspect is arrested, Anderson said that instead of punishment, he hopes to get through to them.
"I don't want to prosecute them. I want to talk with him," Anderson said. "I want to give him a second chance just like I’ve had a second chance. You see, you’re looking at a cancer survivor.”
Now, Anderson said he is even more motivated after the incident to take his message from the pulpit to the streets in the hopes of making a real change in the community.
“I don’t back down when people try to put me down,” Anderson said. “I stand up, I speak up and I show up.”