(DALLAS) — A man suspected of murdering an elderly woman has turned himself into Dallas police after being on the run for five days.
The Dallas Police Department said its officers responded to a 911 call on the evening of July 6 at approximately 6:35 p.m. about a deceased person at a home in the southern part of the Texas city. Upon arrival, they discovered 87-year-old Anita Daniels Thompson dead inside the home from what was deemed to be “homicidal violence,” police said in a statement.
Four days later, police announced that they had identified 58-year-old Andre Stefan Buggs as the prime suspect in Thompson’s slaying following their investigation. Police said in a statement that Buggs “is wanted for murder” and should be “considered armed and dangerous.”
“Andre Stefan Buggs has been identified as the suspect for the murder of Anita Daniels Thompson that occurred on July 6, 2021,” read the statement from the Dallas Police Department. “The suspect, pictured below, is wanted for the murder and is described as a 58-year-old Black male, 6’3″ tall, and weighs approximately 218 pounds. He is considered armed and dangerous.”
Police did not disclose any potential motive was behind the killing or if the two knew each other.
Late on Sunday afternoon, police announced that Buggs had turned himself in.
“Suspect Buggs was transported to the Homicide Unit, where detectives interviewed him,” said the Dallas Police Department. “The suspect invoked his right to an attorney, and he was transported to the Dallas County Jail where he was charged with murder.”
Buggs remains in custody. His bond was not set as of late Sunday afternoon.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding the case is urged to contact the Dallas Police Department at 214-671-3686.
Billionaire Sir Richard Branson flew to the lower edge of space and back to planet Earth on Sunday in the first fully crewed flight from his private space tourism firm Virgin Galactic.
Billionaire Sir Richard Branson launched to the edge of space Sunday in the first fully crewed flight from his private space tourism firm Virgin Galactic.
“What a day. What a day. What a day,” Branson said at a news conference following the historic flight. “I think like most kids I have dreamt of this moment since I was a kid and honestly nothing can prepare you for the view of Earth from space.”
He said he was honored to “test the customer experience” and declared, “Welcome to the dawn of a new space age.”
“It’s just magical. I’m just taking it all in. It’s just unreal,” said Branson, who popped a bottle of champagne after he and his crew were presented their Virgin Galactic astronaut wings.
The so-called Unity 22 mission lifted off from the New Mexico desert about 10:38 a.m. ET attached to its “mothership” aircraft VMS Eve and just after 11 a.m. reached an altitude of 46,000 feet, which is higher than commercial airlines fly.
Branson, 70, served as a mission specialist on the flight, the fourth crewed spaceflight for Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity spacecraft. Unity was launched from the Eve mothership at an altitude of 50,000 feet and live stream video showed it shooting into space. Within 30 seconds the spacecraft reached Mach 2 speed and a few seconds later hit Mach 3 at an altitude of weightlessness.
Onboard video showed Branson and the three other astronauts smiling as they looked out the windows of the spacecraft. They briefly unbuckled their seatbelts to float around the cabin and take in view of the curvature of Earth.
At around 11:40 a.m. ET the spacecraft touched back down on Earth, making a smooth landing back in New Mexico to loud applause and cheers at mission control.
Latest upates: Virgin Galatic launch
As of 10:30 AM ET, the liftoff was running 10 minutes late.
At 10:38 AM ET, Virgin Galactic has started down the runway.
On Sunday morning, Branson tweeted that he was “feeling good, feeling excited” and ready for this morning’s launch, along with a picture of himself with SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
Big day ahead. Great to start the morning with a friend. Feeling good, feeling excited, feeling ready.
The billionaire rode his bike Sunday morning to the launch area, Spaceport America in New Mexico.
The crew consists of fellow Virgin Galactic staff: Beth Moses, chief astronaut instructor; Colin Bennet, lead operations engineer; and Sirisha Bandla, vice president of government affairs and research operations.
Pilots Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci will fly the spaceship, with C.J. Sturckow and Kelly Latimer flying the aircraft from which the spaceship will dispatch.
Branson’s role is to evaluate the private astronaut experience to prepare for future customers, which Virgin Galactic expects to do beginning in 2022.
‘Space belongs to all of us’: Branson
Virgin Galactic has taken heat from critics, including the Twitter account of competitor Blue Origin, for stretching the definition of “space” as its flights do not go above the Karman line (62 miles above Earth) that is defined by many — but not all — as the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space.
“I truly believe that space belongs to all of us,” Branson said in a statement earlier this month announcing his spaceflight. “After 17 years of research, engineering and innovation, the new commercial space industry is poised to open the universe to humankind and change the world for good.”
Branson’s spaceflight comes just nine days ahead of when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he will launch into space via his own firm, Blue Origin.
(Los Angeles) — Fires are continuing to spark in the West as a heat wave blankets millions of residents.
Heat alerts are currently active across seven states in the West as the heat wave continues into Sunday. Temperatures in the triple digits are expected in California, Arizona, Oregon and Idaho. Temperatures are set to break records in cities like Flagstaff, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; Bakersfield and Fresno, California; and Billings, Montana.
Extreme drought and dry conditions are persisting in the West as another heat waves looms, creating matchbox conditions for any spark to ignite into a fast-moving blaze.
In California and Nevada, temperatures in the 90s and 100s — along with single digit humidity values — will be conducive to rapid spread again on Sunday.
The Beckwourth Complex Fire in Doyle, California, is now the state’s largest wildfire at 83,926 acres and is only 8% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The fire prompted mandatory evacuations, closed portions of U.S. Route 395 and crossed state lines into Nevada, ABC Sacramento affiliate KXTV-TV reported.
The Bootleg Fire in Klamath County, Oregon, grew to more than 143,000 acres on Sunday, prompting evacuations in the area, according to the U.S. Forest Service. It was first spotted in the Fremont-Winema National Forest on July 6 but exploded to 75,000 acres on Saturday, ABC Portland affiliate KATU reported.
Evacuations were also ordered due to the Rock Creek Fire in Craig, Montana, which shut down portions of Interstate 15.
The possibility of isolated thunderstorms in Montana on Sunday afternoon could bring breezy conditions and also cause lightning ignitions.
Billionaire Sir Richard Branson flew to the lower edge of space and back to planet Earth on Sunday in the first fully crewed flight from his private space tourism firm Virgin Galactic.
Billionaire Sir Richard Branson launched to the edge of space Sunday in the first fully crewed flight from his private space tourism firm Virgin Galactic.
“What a day. What a day. What a day,” Branson said at a news conference following the historic flight. “I think like most kids I have dreamt of this moment since I was a kid and honestly nothing can prepare you for the view of Earth from space.”
He said he was honored to “test the customer experience” and declared, “Welcome to the dawn of a new space age.”
“It’s just magical. I’m just taking it all in. It’s just unreal,” said Branson, who popped a bottle of champagne after he and his crew were presented their Virgin Galactic astronaut wings.
The so-called Unity 22 mission lifted off from the New Mexico desert about 10:38 a.m. ET attached to its “mothership” aircraft VMS Eve and just after 11 a.m. reached an altitude of 46,000 feet, which is higher than commercial airlines fly.
Branson, 70, served as a mission specialist on the flight, the fourth crewed spaceflight for Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity spacecraft. Unity was launched from the Eve mothership at an altitude of 50,000 feet and live stream video showed it shooting into space. Within 30 seconds the spacecraft reached Mach 2 speed and a few seconds later hit Mach 3 at an altitude of weightlessness.
Onboard video showed Branson and the three other astronauts smiling as they looked out the windows of the spacecraft. They briefly unbuckled their seatbelts to float around the cabin and take in view of the curvature of Earth.
At around 11:40 a.m. ET the spacecraft touched back down on Earth, making a smooth landing back in New Mexico to loud applause and cheers at mission control.
Latest upates: Virgin Galatic launch
As of 10:30 AM ET, the liftoff was running 10 minutes late.
At 10:38 AM ET, Virgin Galactic has started down the runway.
On Sunday morning, Branson tweeted that he was “feeling good, feeling excited” and ready for this morning’s launch, along with a picture of himself with SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
Big day ahead. Great to start the morning with a friend. Feeling good, feeling excited, feeling ready.
The billionaire rode his bike Sunday morning to the launch area, Spaceport America in New Mexico.
The crew consists of fellow Virgin Galactic staff: Beth Moses, chief astronaut instructor; Colin Bennet, lead operations engineer; and Sirisha Bandla, vice president of government affairs and research operations.
Pilots Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci will fly the spaceship, with C.J. Sturckow and Kelly Latimer flying the aircraft from which the spaceship will dispatch.
Branson’s role is to evaluate the private astronaut experience to prepare for future customers, which Virgin Galactic expects to do beginning in 2022.
‘Space belongs to all of us’: Branson
Virgin Galactic has taken heat from critics, including the Twitter account of competitor Blue Origin, for stretching the definition of “space” as its flights do not go above the Karman line (62 miles above Earth) that is defined by many — but not all — as the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space.
“I truly believe that space belongs to all of us,” Branson said in a statement earlier this month announcing his spaceflight. “After 17 years of research, engineering and innovation, the new commercial space industry is poised to open the universe to humankind and change the world for good.”
Branson’s spaceflight comes just nine days ahead of when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he will launch into space via his own firm, Blue Origin.
(New York) — A police officer in Ohio saved the life of a man who was allegedly choking on a bag of marijuana that he reportedly tried to swallow after he was pulled over for speeding.
The footage was released by the Ohio State Highway Patrol on Thursday, July 8, and shows Trooper Hoskin from the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Ravenna post pull over the 24-year-old suspect after speeding by his vehicle on the highway in Portage County, according to Storyful.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Hoskin can be heard asking the driver after approaching the stopped vehicle in video taken from the officer’s dashboard camera.
It is not known how or if the suspect responded but Hoskin can then be heard asking if he is alright.
“Can you breathe?” Hoskin says to the driver before instructing him to get out of the car and asking if he can breathe again.
Don’t try to swallow a bag of drugs prior to getting pulled over in an attempt to keep a trooper from finding them. Luckily, Tpr. Hoskin from our Ravenna Post was alert and able to assist the man who was choking on a bag of illegal marijuana. pic.twitter.com/LqgbOhOEsW
Hoskin then takes the man to the side of the road and begins performing the Heimlich maneuver on him several times before an object can be seen becoming dislodged from the man’s mouth and falling to the ground.
As the man sits on the ground after the close call, Hoskin informs the man that an ambulance was on the way to treat him and to make he was alright.
“We got an ambulance coming just to check you out, make sure everything’s good,” says Hoskin to the suspect. “Do you want to die over a minor misdemeanor?”
The man was reportedly cited for speeding, failing to wear a seatbelt, and issued a misdemeanor for marijuana, according to Storyful.
Said the Ohio State Patrol in a post on Twitter: “Don’t try to swallow a bag of drugs prior to getting pulled over in an attempt to keep a trooper from finding them.”
(NEW YORK) — Billionaire Sir Richard Branson is set to launch to the edge of space Sunday in the first fully crewed flight from his private space tourism firm Virgin Galactic.
Branson, 70, will serve as a mission specialist on what is being called the Unity 22 mission, the fourth crewed spaceflight for Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity spacecraft. Unity is launched from a separate “mothership” aircraft called VMS Eve that takes off from a conventional runway before releasing the spaceship at an altitude of approximately 50,000 feet.
The launch will take place from New Mexico’s Spaceport America, and live coverage will commence at 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday on Virgin Galactic’s website and social media pages.
The crew consists of fellow Virgin Galactic staff: Beth Moses, chief astronaut instructor; Colin Bennet, lead operations engineer; and Sirisha Bandla, vice president of government affairs and research operations.
Pilots Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci will fly the spaceship, with C.J. Sturckow and Kelly Latimer flying the aircraft from which the spaceship will dispatch.
Branson’s role is to evaluate the private astronaut experience to prepare for future customers, which Virgin Galactic expects to do beginning in 2022.
Virgin Galactic has taken heat from critics, including the Twitter account of competitor Blue Origin, for stretching the definition of “space” as its flights do not go above the Karman line (62 miles above Earth) that is defined by many — but not all — as the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space.
“I truly believe that space belongs to all of us,” Branson said in a statement earlier this month announcing his spaceflight. “After 17 years of research, engineering and innovation, the new commercial space industry is poised to open the universe to humankind and change the world for good.”
Branson’s spaceflight comes just nine days ahead of when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he will launch into space via his own firm, Blue Origin.
(HOUSTON) — The suspect behind an apparent murder-suicide at the Downtown Aquarium in Houston has been identified as a man with a criminal history.
The shooting at Downtown Aquarium unfolded when suspect Danny Garcia Cazares, 39, walked toward Gabriel Alexander Moriones Vargas, 28 and his wife, 24, as they were eating dinner in the bar area, and opened fire around 8:10 p.m. Thursday, Houston police said.
Vargas was fatally shot and died on the scene. His wife was wounded, suffering at least one gunshot wound to the leg. She remains in stable condition at an area hospital, police said in an update Friday.
The couple was visiting Houston from New York, according to Houston ABC station KTRK.
After shooting the couple, Cazares turned the gun on himself and was pronounced deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
“This is a tragic, isolated incident, with no relationship between the victims and the suspect,” police said.
He had a previous criminal history, which includes arrests for felon in possession of a weapon and had a history of mental illness, Houston police officials said.
At the time of the shooting, Cazares was out on bond on three charges. They were: felon in possession of a weapon and criminal mischief, which he was charged with in April, and criminal trespassing, which he was charged with in October, according to court records.
(NEW YORK) — Some 32 million people are under heat alerts as the West experiences another record-breaking heat wave during elevated drought and fire conditions.
Heat alerts are in effect from California to Montana, with excessive heat warnings for cities including Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Sacramento, California.
Temperatures could reach as high as 130 degrees in Death Valley, California, on Saturday and Sunday, after hitting a high of 130 degrees on Friday, based on preliminary data. If Death Valley officially reaches that temperature again on Saturday, that could tie its record for most consecutive days at or above 130 degrees.
Las Vegas is forecast to be in the triple digits for the next three days, with a high of 117 degrees on Saturday. The National Weather Service office in Las Vegas predicted that some areas “may see all-time record highs challenged or exceeded” this weekend.
Salt Lake City could see triple-digit temperatures Sunday and Monday, after a forecasted high of 99 degrees on Saturday.
Sacramento is expected to reach 111 degrees Saturday, after hitting a daily high-temperature record of 109 on Friday. The National Weather Service office in Sacramento warned that the “dangerously hot temperatures” will “increase the threat for heat-related illnesses,” and advised that people stay hydrated and limit outdoor activities.
The scorching temperatures come after millions in the West endured extreme heat during a deadly heat wave late last month, and as much of the West also is battling a severe drought and elevated wildfire risk.
In California, nearly 95% of the state is in severe drought, according to the latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor. This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded the state’s drought emergency, which now includes 50 out of 58 counties. The governor also asked everyone in the state to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%.
Several states currently are under fire danger, with red flag warnings in effect for parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado and Utah due to the combination of low humidities, warm temperatures and strong winds.
Dozens of large wildfires continue to burn in the West, including the Beckwourth Complex near the California-Nevada border. The fire grew explosively Friday, prompting evacuations. By Saturday afternoon, it had burned 55,091 acres and was only 9% contained.
(NEW YORK) — Eleven people armed with long guns and dressed in tactical gear who claimed to be a part of group called “Rise of the Moors” were arrested following an hours-long standoff with Massachusetts police over the weekend.
Police said they found heavily armed men in two vehicles near Interstate 95 around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday. A nine-hour standoff ensued before all 11 were arrested. No one was harmed in the incident.
The men arrested range in age from 17 to 40 and hailed from Rhode Island, New York and Michigan. Two of the men refused to identify themselves and a third is a 17-year-old whose name will not be released because he’s a minor, police said.
Police say the arrested are: Jamhal Tavon Sanders Latimer, 29, of Providence, Rhode Island; Robert Rodriguez, 21, of the Bronx, New York; Wilfredo Hernandez, 21, of the Bronx; Alban El Curraugh, 27, of the Bronx; Aaron Lamont Johnson, 29, of Detroit; Quinn Cumberlander, 40, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island; Lamar Dow, 34, of the Bronx; and Conrad Pierre, 29, of Baldwin, New York.
Massachusetts State Police Col. Christopher Mason said the men identified themselves as part of a group called Rise of the Moors and said they were traveling from Rhode Island to Maine for “training.” It was unclear what that training involved.
According to the group’s webite, Rise of the Moors is a group of “Moorish Americans dedicated to educating new Moors and influencing our Elders.”
The group is headquartered in Rhode Island, according to its website. The group did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
The website says that Moors are not “sovereign citizens,” but argues that Moors are the “original sovereigns” of America and are therefore immune from U.S. law.
Freddy Cruz, a research analyst at Southern Poverty Law Center who tracks anti-government groups, said Rise of the Moors is classified as a sovereign citizen, antigovernment group.
He said the group draws much of their beliefs and inspirations from ancient civilizations including ties to the Aztecs, the Olmecs and other native peoples.
“They tend to reference all these past civilizations with the idea that they’re somehow entitled to, or there’s somehow a lineage there, that affords them the right to essentially disassociate themselves from the U.S. government,” Cruz said.
Because they refuse to abide by American law, group members can end up in tense situations with police, Cruz said.
“So a lot of these groups don’t tend to register their firearms, they don’t register their vehicles, that tends to be a recipe for disaster, especially if law enforcement is involved, because they tend to essentially become quite standoffish,” he said.
In the Massachusetts incident, police said they had asked the men for drivers licenses and gun licenses, but the men said they didn’t have any.
The Moorish sovereign citizen movement emerged in the early 1990s as an offshoot of the anti-government sovereign citizens movement, and more specifically, the Moorish Science Temple of America, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center..
The Moorish Science Temple of America was created in 1913, but not all MSTA are linked to sovereign citizens, according to the SPLC.
According to the Moorish Science Temple of America’s website, the temple is a “divine and national movement” that teaches about Moorish identity, which under their definition, means Black Americans. They practice Islam and denounce the sovereign citizens movement and identify as U.S. citizens.
ABC News has reached out to the Moorish Science Temple of American for comment.
Some Moorish sovereigns believe that a 1787 treaty between the U.S. and Morocco — a claim that SPLC says is “fictitious” — grants them immunity from U.S. law, the center reported. Some groups create their own birth certificates, passports, driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations, according to SPLC.
This perceived immunity from local authority is used to justify refusing to pay taxes, buy car insurance, register vehicles, and “defraud banks”, the center reported. The movement has no unified leadership and consists of small groups, most of which operate in the Southeast, Northeast and Midwest U.S., according to the SPLC.
Despite experts classifying the group as sovereign citizens and anti-government, Col. Mason said that the “self-professed leader” of the group of 11 men arrested “wanted it very much known that their ideology is not anti-government.” He noted he can’t confirm that they are “validated members” of the group.
SPLC officially listed Rise of the Moors as an anti-government organization in 2020. Cruz said the center has counted so far six organizations that are classified as Moorish sovereign anti-government groups across the country.
Ken Gray, a retired FBI special agent and professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven, told ABC News that sovereign citizens “tend to be more of a law enforcement nuisance than they seem to be a violent group.”
“They seem to be much more involved in tying people up in legal problems, making false claims on property, not paying taxes,” he said.
“This group here said that they were going up to conduct training and they were outfitted in camouflage clothing, carrying body armor, and had long guns with them. But that does not necessarily mean that they were planning to do something violent, it could very well be that they were training like that for defensive purposes,” he added.
Cruz said the SPLC has reported seeing the Rise of the Moors group participate in paramilitary training before, but the location of the training is unknown. He said it’s uncommon to see sovereign citizen groups participate in such training.
He warned the public to be wary of such groups, saying sovereign communities, “tend to prey on people who have fallen on hard times, and are not necessarily aware of what it means to be part of a sovereign nation.”
“With the Moorish groups especially, they try and tailor their message to bring in Black and brown folks with the idea that their sovereign nation will provide opportunities and a more equitable society for folks,” Cruz said. “A lot of times people get caught up in that and don’t realize that essentially what they’re espousing is illegal. You can’t just grab a car and drive it wherever you want. You can’t just squat in homes and make them your own. You can’t just carry around firearms and not have them registered.”
All 11 men arrested in Wakefield have been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, use of body armor in commission of a crime, possession of a high capacity magazine, improper storage of firearms in a vehicle and conspiracy to commit a crime, police said. Hernandez, Johnson, Dow and the unnamed teen are also being charged with providing a false name to police, authorities said.
The teenager was released to parental custody while the 10 adults are being held at the Billerica House of Correction on $100,000 cash bail, authorities said.
On Tuesday, in Malden District Court, most of the men rejected the charges against them and most said they’d represent themselves. The court entered not guilty pleas on their behalf, according to MassLive.
ABC News could not immediately contact any lawyers for the men. Further hearings will take place Friday.
Eva Marie Uzcategui Trinkl/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(SURFSIDE, Fla.) — As the recovery effort continues after the devastating partial collapse of a 12-story residential building in South Florida’s Miami-Dade County last month, there was a “small piece of good news” Friday, officials said, after a pet was reunited with its family.
A missing cat named Binx was found near the wreckage on Friday and reunited with its owners, who lived on the ninth floor of the tower, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said during a press briefing Friday evening.
“I’m glad that this small miracle could bring some light into the lives of a hurting family today and provide a bright spot for our whole community in the midst of this terrible tragedy,” she said.
The mayor did share any more details about the family. A volunteer who was feeding cats in the area recognized Binx and brought him to a local animal shelter, where it was identified as one of the cats missing after the disaster, she said.
At least 79 people have been confirmed dead and as many as 61 people remain missing following the collapse, officials said Friday.
Eight additional victims have been identified, the Miami Dade Police Department said Friday, including 3-year-old Luis Lopez Moreira III, the youngest so far; the boy’s father, Luis Pettengill, 36; and his mother, Sophia López Moreira, 36, the sister of Paraguay’s first lady, Silvana López Moreira. Two other children in the family remain missing.
The disaster occurred on June 24 around 1:15 a.m. local time at the Champlain Towers South condominium in the small, beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles north of Miami Beach. Approximately 55 of the oceanfront complex’s 136 units were destroyed, according to officials. The rest of the building was demolished on Sunday night, due to concerns over structural integrity and an incoming tropical storm.
Meanwhile, 200 people who were living or staying in the condominium at the time of the disaster have been accounted for and are safe, according to Levine Cava, who has repeatedly stressed that the figures are “very fluid” and “continue to change.”
For over two weeks, hundreds of first responders carefully combed through the pancaked piles of debris in hopes of finding survivors. But no one has been found alive in the wreckage since the morning the building partially collapsed, and officials announced Wednesday evening that the search and rescue operation, in its 14th day, would shift to a recovery effort.
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett told reporters that the decision was “a result of a consensus by those closest to the rescue efforts that the possibility of someone still alive is near zero.”
To mark the somber move, a moment of silence was held Wednesday in honor of all the victims, of whom 53 have been identified. A candlelight vigil was held later that night at the memorial site for the victims.
Crews paused their work atop the piles early Thursday “for a brief moment of silence to honor the two-week mark since the collapse,” according to Levine Cava. Several families who lost loved ones were also brought to the site to pay their respects Thursday, she said.
“We have now officially transitioned from search and rescue to search and recovery,” Levine Cava said during a press conference Thursday morning. “The work continues with all speed and urgency. We are working around the clock to recover victims and bring closure to the families as fast as we possibly can.”
“We are taking as much care as ever to proceed to find victims in the rubble,” she added.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters that crews “will identify every single person” who’s found, and that officials also would continue to help the survivors and the families of the victims get back “on their feet as best as we possibly can.”
On Friday, the Broward County Medical Office started coming on-site to assist Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department personnel and help teams rotate more frequently, Levine Cava said.
“It is very, very valuable and critical that we provide some relief to those men and women working in the medical examiner’s office doing this vital work,” the mayor said during a press briefing Friday afternoon.
Crews have hauled away more than 13 million pounds of concrete and debris from the vast scene, and the pile of rubble is almost at ground level, Burkett said Friday. Some debris remains below ground level.
Officials said it could take several weeks to get to the bottom of the wreckage. Crews have been working virtually nonstop, with help from teams who came from across Florida and elsewhere in the United States as well as from abroad. However, their efforts were halted for almost an entire day last week due to safety concerns regarding the still-standing structure, prior to the demolition. Poor weather conditions have also forced them to temporarily pause working.
The cause of the partial collapse to a building that has withstood decades of hurricanes remains unknown and is under investigation. Built in the 1980s, the Champlain Towers South was up for its 40-year recertification and had been undergoing roof work — with more renovations planned — when it partially collapsed, according to officials.
