Shooter fires at Tesla dealership in Oregon, the location's second such incident this month

Just a week after an Oregon Tesla dealership was shot at, another shooting was reported at the business, local police announced this week.

The dealership in Tigard, a city just outside of Portland, was first hit on March 6, then again early Thursday morning, the Tigard Police Department said.

Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday, but police said the most recent shooting began around 4:15 a.m. Thursday. 

The shooter fired more than a dozen times, causing “extensive damage to cars” and the already-boarded-up showroom windows. A security guard was on scene at the time but was not hurt, police said.

Police are working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on the case.

Police said they are collecting evidence and reviewing surveillance footage captured in the area around the time of the most recent shooting.

“An ATF explosive detection K-9 was on scene again to help look for possible shell casings,” police said.

Authorities aren’t sure what motivated the shooter to target the dealership but other Tesla dealerships have been “targeted across Oregon and the nation for political reasons,” police said.

More on last week’s shooting

The first shooting, which happened around 1:46 a.m. last Thursday on March 6, led to three damaged cars, a damaged wall and a broken computer monitor. 

When Tesla employees showed up to work that Thursday morning, they found out the building had been shot at. Investigators said at least seven shots were fired, according to the Tigard Police Department. 

No one was present during that shooting, so no one was hurt, police said.

Investigators working the latest cases in Oregon ask that anyone who saw or heard anything at the Tigard dealership call 503-718-TIPS or email tips@tigard-or.gov.

Why are people targeting Tesla?

Since President Donald Trump’s reelection, SpaceX and Tesla owner Elon Musk has unofficially helmed the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

Under Trump and Musk’s leadership, about 100,000 of the country’s 2.3 million federal workers have taken buyouts or been fired so far, according to Reuters.

Musk previously made headlines when he directed the sending of mass emails on Feb. 22 to federal workers asking for details on what they did at work over the previous week. He asked for five bullet points and for workers to "CC" their managers.

Tesla dealerships targeted in multiple states

Recently, reports of vandalism and fires have been made at Tesla dealerships in multiple states, including other parts of Oregon.

In Salem, a 41-year-old man was charged this month for two separate incidents at a Tesla dealership, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon. The man, Adam Matthew Lansky, was charged with illegally possessing an unregistered destructive device, the office said in a press release.

The first incident was on Jan. 20, the office said. Someone called the Salem Police Department about an individual throwing Molotov cocktails at the dealership. On Feb. 19, someone called officers to the same dealership about an individual shooting into the building and a vehicle.

Both incidents were linked to Lansky through surveillance footage, and he was arrested on March 4.

Since December, Tesla’s stock has dropped by 50%, and President Trump has vocally supported Musk during this period. 

After five Tesla vehicles were spotted at the White House recently, Trump said he would consider categorizing those vandalizing Tesla dealerships and committing violent acts against Tesla owners as “domestic terrorists.”

“I think (Musk has) been treated very unfairly by a very small group of people,” Trump said. “And I just want people to know that he can't be penalized for being a patriot. And he's a great patriot.”

Tesla dealerships also used to hold protests

Ever since Musk took a role in President Trump's administration, communities have held protests in retaliation.

Protesters in Portsmouth, New Hampshire met at a Tesla showroom as part of a "Tesla Takedown" event around the country, reported the Portsmouth Herald, part of the USA TODAY Network.

One protester, Diane Kolifrath, said the group showed up to keep Musk from taking away the country’s democracy.

"There are far more of us that want to preserve the democracy than those who want to put us under,” she told the newspaper. “We are committed to advocating for social justice, environmental protection, and economic equality."

Contributing: Joey Garrison and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY; Deb Cram, The Portsmouth Herald; Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.