As anti-Elon-Musk sentiment reaches a fever pitch, a Tesla dealership has found itself caught in the crossfire — again.
Local authorities and federal agents are investigating a shooting that took place early Wednesday morning at the automaker's location in Salem, Oregon, per The Salem Reporter.
Police discovered windows completely blown out or riddled with bulletholes when they arrived at the scene around 5 am — suggesting that the culprits unloaded a gun into the building. No one was reported injured.
"Officers found the damage to be from gunshots," said a police spokesperson, per Salem Reporter. The spokesperson didn't provide a clear reason for the FBI's involvement.
Locals expressed some mixed feelings about the incident.
"I recognized that Elon Musk is a very controversial figure, and I bought this car knowing that he was a controversial figure. I don't agree with everything that he does and don't like him quite frankly, but I wanted a environmentally friendly car," a local Tesla owner told local TV station KATU ABC 2. "I think it's sending the wrong message to shoot up a dealership that has nothing to do with presumably whatever their feelings are."
Police are investigating a shooting that damaged windows at a Salem, Oregon Tesla dealership. https://t.co/BBYTKtlbmA pic.twitter.com/G9XpEQSst3
— KATU News (@KATUNews) February 19, 2025
This is actually the second time the Tesla dealership has faced something like this. Late last month, a car there was set on fire in a suspected arson attack. No arrests have been made in either case.
While authorities can't say for sure if the motives are political, it would certainly seem likely. Across the country — and even across the pond — waves of protest have been taken up against Musk, whose popularity has only sunk further amidst his controversial role in the Trump administration.
Countless Tesla owners, especially those of the perennial-butt-of-the-joke Cybertruck, have complained that their rides have been vandalized. Other Tesla dealerships have also been vandalized, including one in Colorado that found its fleet defaced with red spray paint and busted windshields.
Many of the acts explicitly condemn Musk's extreme right-wing beliefs. Earlier this month, a Tesla showroom in the Hague was sprayed with anti-Nazi slogans and swastikas, while in the week prior, an activist group projected an image of Musk performing his infamous Nazi salute onto the side of Tesla's Berlin gigafactory.
These are damning indications of just how despised Musk is right now, and it's even more striking just how international the sentiment is. It would be noteworthy to see this kind of action taken against a world leader. That the vandalism is being directed against an ostensible businessman and his automaker — and even anyone who just happens to own one of its cars — feels like a sign that Musk has crossed some threshold there's no coming back from.
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