Terrorists intentionally fired multiple gunshots that damaged two power substations in central North Carolina on Saturday, and a disgraced former U.S. Army officer claimed to know something about it.
Two power substations in North Carolina were struck by gunfire in what is being investigated as a criminal act, causing damage that could take days to repair and leaving tens of thousands of people without electricity, authorities said.
In response to ongoing outages, which began across Moore County in North Carolina just after 7pm on Saturday, a curfew was declared and schools were closed as the FBI and state authorities joined the investigation into the gun attacks on two energy substations in Moore County.
With no suspects or motive announced, the FBI is joining the investigation into power outages in a North Carolina county believed to have been caused by “intentional” and “targeted” attacks on substations that left around 40,000 customers in the dark Saturday night, prompting a curfew and emergency declaration.
“The person who did this knew what they were doing,” said Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields, who described the attack as deliberate. “It appears they were trying to shut down the county.”
Emily Grace Rainey, a former U.S. Army psychological operations officer who led a group to Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, was questioned by deputies after she posted on Facebook, “The power is out in Moore County, and I know why.”
A former captain, Rainey was forced to leave the Army after she violated laws in North Carolina to protest coronavirus restrictions implemented by the Governor Roy Cooper.
Rainey is a religious fanatic and adherent of former President Donald Trump’s bigoted political ideology who allegedly told officers God wanted the power cut but she was among a group of protesters who disrupted a drag show in the area.
“Several power substations were damaged and taken offline by gunfire knocking out power to 40,000 residents in Moore County, NC. Gun stores were robbed. A drag show was cancelled. A local extremist implied that’s why the power was cut,” said civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo.
The attacks appear to be intended to disrupt a highly controversial performance of Downtown Divas, a drag show that was scheduled to take place at the Sunrise Theater in Downtown Southern Pines.
Rainey allegedly told authorities the mass power outages in North Carolina occurred because of “God will not be mocked,” but a post on social media reveals the sick and perverted views of this religious extremist: “V stands for holy victory that the Church will win over the Enlightenment and Humanist ideologies that have led to the atheistic communist wasteland we face.”
Rainey also posted a picture of the lights out at the Sunrise Theater with the caption, “God will not be mocked” and she later said, “Christians need to wake up. We are living in a post Christian country. The atheists and pagans hate you and hate God. The blasphemy I heard from the supporters of the drag show is unspeakable. God will not be mocked. Christians must rise and defend their bleeding and wounded Savior as He is spit upon in the streets. If He is for you, who can be against you? Do not be afraid Stop being ashamed of your Christianity!”
The mass outage in Moore County turned into a criminal investigation when responding utility crews found signs of potential vandalism of equipment at different sites – including two substations that had been damaged by gunfire, according to the Moore County Sheriff’s Office.
Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields said a suspect or suspects drove up to two Duke Energy power substations Saturday night — breaching a gate in one case — and opened fire, disabling them and resulting in a blackout for tens of thousands of families that could last through Thursday.
As of Monday afternoon, more than 32,664 customers remained without power, according to Poweroutage.us.
The substations are located in West End and Carthage, North Carolina, and are about five miles away from each other.
“We faced something last night, here in Moore County, that we’ve never faced before,” said Fields. “But I promise you, we are going to get through this, and we are going to get through this together.”
The county-wide curfew could remain in place for the next few days, according to Fields, who said the Moore County Parks and Recreation Sports Complex is now operating as a shelter.
The mass power outage across Moore County, about an hour outside of Raleigh, began shortly after 7 p.m. on Saturday after multiple power substations were damaged by what authorities described in a statement as “intentional vandalism.”
The substations will require a “sophisticated repair,” said Duke Energy spokesperson Jeff Brooks, who added that restoration will require new equipment and work that could take until Thursday to complete.
You must log in to post a comment.