It’s unlikely that it is, as hate crime statutes, while including race, religion and sexual orientation don’t generally include ‘political view’.
Via Raleigh News and Observer:
The Vance County district attorney has requested assistance from state and federal investigators to determine whether the shooting of a Henderson man with a “Trump” campaign sign in his yard last month was a hate crime, though the county sheriff says there’s no evidence yet to indicate that it was.
Raymond Harrell, 69, died Nov. 15 from a small-caliber bullet wound he received Oct. 22, said Sheriff Peter White. Harrell was standing in his doorway at 1320 Hight St. when the shots were fired at the home, according to a sheriff’s report.
White said no arrests have yet been made and that it is not clear whether the Trump sign had anything to do with the shooting. The initial investigation report does not mention a Trump sign.
“We are not in position to say it was a hate crime at this point,” White said.
The fatal shot came from the driver’s side of a white car, passing through a side window of the house and the open front door before striking him in the left side near his rib cage, White said.
In a letter sent to White on Thursday, Ninth District Attorney Michael Waters said that sheriff’s office investigators “suspect” that Harrell, a Vietnam veteran, was targeted because he displayed a “Trump” sign in his front yard.
“The FBI needs to review this case for possible classification and Federal investigation as a ‘hate crime’ predicated on silencing Mr. Harrell’s constitutional right to express his political views,” Waters wrote to White.