Lee Vogler, a city council member in Danville, Virginia​, was set on fire by a man who entered the office of a local magazine where he worked, police said Wednesday.

Police say a man who doused a Virginia city councilman in gasoline and set him on fire told investigators he wanted the attack to be fatal, according to charging documents available Thursday. Officials say the motive appears personal and unrelated to Lee Vogler’s work as a public official.