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Bowman challenger in next year's primary seeks DC police to investigate fire alarm incident

Michael Gerald, who is running in a primary against Bowman, is calling on police in the nation's Capitol to investigate the incident to determine if any criminal charges are warranted.

Lee Danuff

Oct 5, 2023, 3:01 PM

Updated 664 days ago

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The fallout continues in the wake of Rep. Jamaal Bowman triggering a fire alarm at the U.S. Capitol this weekend as lawmakers were holding tense negotiations to avoid a government shutdown.
"I find it hard to believe that a former school principal doesn't know the wider ramifications of what it means to pull a fire alarm," says fellow Democrat Michael Gerald.
Gerald, who is running in a primary against Bowman, is calling on police in the nation's Capitol to investigate the incident to determine if any criminal charges are warranted.
Bowman, a former middle school principal, said he pulled it by mistake. Gerald says he doesn't buy it.
The pastor and Westchester County corrections official called the incident a reckless stunt and said there needs to be accountability for his actions.
"My immediate concern was for those members of Congress who was present on Jan. 6, and I really thought about how they must have embodied some level of re-traumatization," he says.
In a statement, Bowman said he was embarrassed to admit he activated the fire alarm while rushing to make a vote and mistakenly thought it would open the door.