State and federal investigators have been called in to assist with the ongoing investigation.  Damages to the substations are estimated to be in the millions according to Duke Energy officials. No suspects have been named in the shootings, and investigators have yet to announce a potential motive.  

Critical infrastructure attacks are not spontaneous acts of violence and are often preceded by target selection, surveillance activities, pre-attack planning, and rehearsal. These attacks are intended to cause chaos across a large geographic area and are encouraged by both domestic and foreign terror groups.

August - October 2013, a later identified man was responsible for several power grid attacks. The first involved the man climbing a 100-foot tall support tower to saw off the shackles holding up the power line. The line fell across train tracks and was later severed by a train. It appeared a previous attempt to cripple the tower had been made when officials discovered bolts had been loosened and a cable tied from the tower to a tree across the tracks in an attempt for a passing train to catch the cable and pull the tower down. The second attack was from the man setting an extra-high voltage switching station on fire. The third attack was the result of two towers being cut with one being pulled down using a tractor. The final attack which brought the man to the attention of authorities, was carried out using a fishing pole to cast a wire over the power lines near his home resulting in an explosion. Damages from all the incidents totaled more than $4.5 million

April 2013, gunmen fired on 17 electrical transformers at a substation near Silicon Valley, CA resulting in over $15 million in damages. Additionally, investigators found fiber-optic telecommunication cables nearby were cut just before the attack and possible evidence of previously designated firing positions.