In a striking incident that underscores the rising political tensions across the United States, a man from North Carolina reports having been shot at after an enraged motorist tore down a Trump banner from his mother’s front yard. The event, as described by Mark Thomas, shines a light on the escalating hostility tied to political affiliations.

On September 6, Mark Thomas, who operates a river rafting business in the scenic Nantahala Gorge, was unwinding at home when he found himself in the midst of a potentially dangerous confrontation. The alarming episode unfolded when he noticed a man, dressed in what he described as an “Antifa-style mask,” stepping out of a Jeep Cherokee to inspect a Trump banner affixed to a bus parked outside his 87-year-old mother’s residence.

Thomas, seeking to understand the disturbance, turned to his security cameras. The footage captured a man, later identified by authorities as 38-year-old Benjamin Michael Campbell, tearing down the banner. The situation escalated when Campbell allegedly fired a shot at Thomas during the altercation.

According to police reports, Campbell had been speeding before coming to a sudden halt to remove the banner, linking his actions to a broader narrative of political animosity that appears to be growing in intensity across various communities.

The man, identified by police as Benjamin Michael Campbell, 38, was allegedly speeding before abruptly stopping and removing the banner.

“Being a Second Amendment believer, I reached over, grabbed my rifle and took off out there to the porch,” Thomas said.

Thomas said he fired two warning shots into the air before Campbell allegedly got back into his vehicle and opened fire through the sunroof. Campbell then fled — only to return moments later and fire several more shots, striking a refrigerator inside the home, Thomas said.

Campbell, an Atlanta-based accountant, fled before police arrived. He was arrested Sept. 30 and extradited to North Carolina, where he faces charges including felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, discharging a firearm within an enclosure to incite fear and willful and wanton injury to personal property.

Thomas said he was stunned to learn the suspect was a professional in his late 30s.

Benjamin Michael Campbell allegedly ripped a Trump banner off an old sign at a North Carolina home. As he was pulling away in his car, he allegedly opened his sunroof and fired his gun in the owner’s direction. (Swain County Sheriff’s Office)

“Some of these people, they just see a Trump sign, and they just snap,” he said. “The whole time I’m thinking, ‘This is some 20-year-old kid, and he’s going to figure it out eventually’.

“That was really my hesitation,” he added. “I thought, ‘You know, son, you’re going to live another day.’ And I came to find out this guy is 38 years old and an accountant out here in a full Antifa outfit.”

Thomas said he almost didn’t call the police after the first round of shots but changed his mind when Campbell returned and opened fire again.

He added that his mother had several other Trump signs on her property that Campbell never saw.

“His head would have just completely exploded,” Thomas said.

Thomas also noted that he had no intention of harming Campbell, citing the shooter’s poor aim.

A suspect seen on security video after he allegedly tore down a Trump banner in North Carolina.  (Mark ThomasYouTube )

“The only thing that saved his life was the fact that he couldn’t shoot that well,” he said. “You would’ve had to hit me pretty good to get me to not do what I was ready to do.”

The shooting happened four days before the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, an incident that Thomas said “really woke people up” to the violence happening amid deep political divisions across the country. 

He claimed some Democratic officials have publicly encouraged hostility toward conservatives, further fueling divisions.

Thomas said he hopes to one day speak with Campbell to understand what motivated the attack.

Benjamin Michael Campbell, 38, allegedly pointed a gun out of a vehicle sunroof and opened fire.  (Mark Thomas / YouTube)

“I’d really like to talk to that guy and find out what’s in his head,” Thomas said. “I’d like him to look at the video and see me standing on my porch and realize how close he came to losing his life over a banner.

“I swear I’ve thought about putting $10 on his (jail) account and getting him to call me.”