Police are investigating after someone fired shots into the home of an official at the Ohio Department of Health.
Upper Arlington Police responded to a call just after 8 p.m. in the 1700 block of Berkshire Road on Saturday of shots being fired into the home of Dr. Mary Kate Francis, assistant medical director of the Ohio Department of Health.
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No one was injured in the shooting, according to police. An investigation is ongoing and no further details are being released at this time, according to a crime alert from the City of Upper Arlington.
A spokeswoman with the Ohio Department of Health declined to comment on the shooting, due to the fact that it's an open investigation.
Although Francis works at the state health department, she's mostly remained behind the scenes during the pandemic. Her supervisor, medical director Bruce Vanderhoff regularly appears on television during Gov. Mike DeWine's COVID-19 briefings, as did Dr. Amy Acton, former director of the Ohio Department of Health.
Although the shooter's motive is unknown at this time, public health officials in Ohio and around the country have been the target of protests and threats since the pandemic began.
Before Acton resigned in June, she became the target of threats and anti-Semitic slurs.
People protested outside of Acton's Bexley home. Some of the protesters showed up with guns.
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Protesters also screamed and pressed their faces against Statehouse windows during some COVID-19 media briefings from Acton and Gov. Mike DeWine. The governor often defended Acton publicly, calling on people to express their COVID-19 frustrations with him rather than her.
After Acton left her job atop the state health department, DeWine announced her replacement, Dr. Joan Duwve. But, just hours after she was announced as Acton's successor, Duwve withdrew her name from consideration.
Duwve said she decided against taking the job at last minute after being informed about the harassment Acton and her family faced while she was in office.
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