Targeted Councilman Faces 'Months—if Not Years' of Rehab

The Virginia city councilman who was attacked and set on fire last week has begun "his road to recovery," according to a family statement. Danville City Council member Lee Vogler—who also works as marketing director at the offices of Showcase Magazine, where the attack occurred Wednesday—was expected to undergo the first of many surgeries on Friday, said wife Blair Vogler. She said the burn team that initially cared for her husband, a father of two, at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill "have given us both comfort and confidence during this difficult time." She also expressed thanks "for the support we've received from friends, family, and the community."

A GoFundMe campaign organized by Showcase Magazine owner Andrew Brooks has raised $75,000 to support Vogler's recovery. "Lee sustained second- and third-degree burns over more than half his body and is currently in stable but critical condition at the UNC Chapel Hill Burn Clinic," the page notes, adding "he faces multiple surgeries, an extended hospital stay, and months—if not years—of rehabilitation." Fox News describes burns to "roughly 60% of his body."

"As anyone who knows him would expect, [Vogler] is facing this challenge the same way he's faced every obstacle in his life—with courage, determination, and an unbreakable spirit," his wife said in a Thursday statement. Authorities say the man charged with attempted first-degree murder in the case had a personal grudge against Vogler. He admitted to police that he hoped to kill Danville's youngest-ever councilman, per ABC News. First elected in 2012 at age 24, Vogler is now in his fourth term, per the New York Post.