(EAST PALESTINE, Ohio) — The mayor of an Ohio village where a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed earlier this month told ABC News that he “wasn’t built for this” and needs “help.”
East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway briefly spoke to reporters on Wednesday evening, before a town hall meeting with residents in the local high school’s gymnasium. ABC News asked Conaway about the pressure of being in the national spotlight and whether he has a message for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, who is slated to visit on Thursday.
“I need help,” the mayor responded. “I’m not ready for this. I wasn’t built for this. I always thought of myself as a leader. I will do whatever it takes.”
Earlier Wednesday, Regan announced via Twitter that he will travel to East Palestine, Ohio, the next day to hear from impacted residents, visit the derailment site and meet with the state’s emergency responders.
“I want the residents of East Palestine to know that we understand their fears and concerns,” Regan tweeted. “We are going to get through this together and we are holding Norfolk Southern accountable.”
About 50 cars of a freight train operated by Norfolk Southern Railway derailed in a fiery crash on the outskirts of East Palestine, Ohio, near the state line with Pennsylvania, on the night of Feb. 3. Ten of the derailed cars were transporting hazardous materials, five of which contained vinyl chloride, a highly volatile colorless gas produced for commercial uses. There were no injuries reported from the accident, officials said.
Efforts to contain a fire at the derailment site stalled the following night, as firefighters withdrew from the blaze due to concerns about air quality and explosions. About half of East Palestine’s roughly 4,700 residents were warned to leave before officials decided on Feb. 6 to conduct a controlled release and burn of the toxic vinyl chloride from the five tanker cars, which were in danger of exploding. A large ball of fire and a plume of black smoke filled with contaminants could be seen billowing high into the sky from the smoldering derailment site as the controlled burn took place that afternoon, prompting concerns from residents about the potential effects.
A mandatory evacuation order for homes and businesses within a 1-mile radius of the derailment site was lifted on Feb. 8, after air and water samples taken the day before were deemed safe, officials said.
The office of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that the latest tests conducted by the state’s EPA show five wells feeding into East Palestine’s municipal water system are free from contaminants. But residents with private wells are encouraged to drink from bottled water instead, until their well water has been tested and cleared for consumption, according to the governor’s office.
“With these tests results, Ohio EPA is confident that the municipal water is safe to drink,” DeWine’s office said in a statement. “Because private water wells may be closer to the surface than the municipal water wells, the Ohio EPA recommends that those who receive drinking water from private water wells schedule an appointment for well water testing by an independent consultant.”
Ohio Department of Natural Resources director Mary Mertz said during a press conference Tuesday that four tributaries over a space of 7.5 miles along the Ohio River are contaminated, but officials are confident that those waterways are contained and not affecting water supplies. Nevertheless, the contaminated waterways have led to the deaths of some 3,500 fish. None of the 12 different species of dead fish that were detected are considered threatened or endangered, and there was no evidence that nonaquatic life has been impacted, according to Mertz.
Tiffani Kavalec, chief of the Ohio EPA’s surface water division, told reporters Tuesday that no vinyl chloride or pre-product has been detected in the water. The contamination mostly consists of fire contaminant combustion materials, according to Kavalec.
The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting a safety investigation to determine the probable cause of the derailment. Two videos show preliminary indications of mechanical issues on one of the car’s axles. The train’s emergency brake was activated after crews said an alarm went off, according to the NTSB.
Norfolk Southern Railway announced in a statement Tuesday that it has helped 1,000 families as well as a number of businesses in East Palestine, Ohio, since the Feb. 3 derailment. The Atlanta-based rail operator said it has also distributed $1.2 million to families to cover costs related to the evacuation.
Representatives from Norfolk Southern Railway did not attend Wednesday night’s town hall meeting due to concerns “about the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties,” according to a company press release.
“We know that many are rightfully angry and frustrated right now,” Norfolk Southern Railway said in the press release. “We want to continue our dialogue with the community and address their concerns, and our people will remain in East Palestine, respond to this situation, and meet with residents. We are not going anywhere.”
(HUNTSVILLE, Ala.) — Two fatalities were reported after a Black Hawk helicopter crashed onto an Alabama highway Wednesday afternoon, a U.S. official confirmed to ABC News.
The crash occurred on Highway 53 near the intersection of Burrell Road in Madison County, near the Alabama-Tennessee border, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
The helicopter belonged to the Tennessee National Guard, according to a U.S. official.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of two Tennessee National Guardsmen, and our prayers are with their families during this heartbreaking tragedy,” Brig. Gen. Warner Ross, Tennessee’s Adjutant General, said in a press release. “We ask Tennesseans to join us in supporting their families during this time of unthinkable grief.”
The Madison County Sheriff’s office received a distress call on its 911 system around 3 p.m., spokesperson Brent Patterson told ABC News.
First responders who arrived first at the scene found the helicopter “engulfed in flames,” Patterson said. The aircraft was a “total loss,” and given the extent of visible damage, they determined there were no survivors, he said.
The two fatalities were aboard the helicopter, a U.S. official said.
According to the Tennessee National Guard, no other service members or civilians were injured. Federal and state authorities are investigating the crash and the Tennessee National Guard will work with officials investigating the crash site.
The National Guard said Wednesday night it cannot confirm the unit the helicopter was assigned to or provide information on casualties.
“It is premature to discuss possible causes of the crash,” National Guard spokesperson Robert Carver said in a statement. “Like all military aircraft mishaps, the incident will be investigated. The National Guard will support law enforcement and other first responders handling the crash site.”
Troopers with the agency and deputies from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office were securing the scene.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office advised of road closures in the area following the crash.
“We anticipate evening traffic to experience heavy delays in this area throughout the evening,” the sheriff’s office said.
Tammy Adams told Huntsville, Alabama, ABC affiliate WAAY-TV that she heard what sounded like a car without a muffler before seeing the helicopter fly overhead.
“Then bam, we heard a hit,” she told the station. “We saw it hit the ground and it exploded.”
She said she said a prayer for those onboard.
“We knew there could not be anybody surviving that,” she told WAAY.
Chermonica Johnson also told WAAY she said a prayer after witnessing the devastating crash.
“There’s nothing there, at all,” she told the station. “You can’t even tell it was an aircraft.”
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said on Twitter that he and his wife, Maria, were “deeply saddened by the tragic loss of two Tennessee National Guard members. Please join us in lifting their families up in prayer & support during this time of unspeakable grief.”
Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama responded, thanking Lee and saying, “Alabamians will continue to uplift in prayer the families affected by this heartbreaking tragedy.”
“The Guardsmen who lost their lives today will be remembered as heroes,” Ivey said. “The people of Alabama stand with our neighbors in Tennessee.”
(EL PASO, Texas) — One person is dead and three others injured after a shooting at the Cielo Vista mall in El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, authorities said.
Two suspects are now in custody, according to police.
The mall is located near a Walmart where 23 people were killed in a racist shooting in August 2019.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 15, 11:29 PM EST
Second suspect in custody, police say
Interim El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas said two suspects are now in custody and there is “no more danger to the public.”
Feb 15, 10:46 PM EST
Third victim in fair condition, medical center says
The Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso said it’s treating the third victim, who is listed in fair condition.
Feb 15, 10:25 PM EST
Gov. Greg Abbott says he spoke to mayor
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he spoke to El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser Wednesday night and offered the “full support” of the state.
“Thank you to all law enforcement and first responders who quickly went into action to protect their fellow Texans,” he tweeted.
Feb 15, 10:19 PM EST
Rep. Veronica Escobar: Shooting ‘has brought back traumatic memories’
Rep. Veronica Escobar, who represents Texas’ 16th District, which includes El Paso, tweeted Wednesday that the shooting “has brought back traumatic memories for many of us. Please know you are not alone.”
“Call El Paso’s crisis help line at ; there is help for you 24 hours, 7 days a week,” she wrote.
Feb 15, 10:15 PM EST
Police say it’s too early to speculate on motive
It’s too early to speculate on a motive, or whether the shooting was targeted or random, El Paso police said.
One suspect is in custody and police were looking into whether or not there’s an outstanding suspect, authorities said.
Right now, police said, the focus is making sure the injured are taken care of and securing the mall, and an investigation will be conducted.
Feb 15, 10:15 PM EST
‘Chaotic scene’ after shots fired: Police
It was a “chaotic scene” in the mall after shots were fired and “people did flee,” the El Paso Police Department said during a briefing Wednesday night.
“It does cause panic,” police said.
The suspect was taken into custody inside the mall, according to police.
Feb 15, 9:59 PM EST
Two male patients in critical condition, hospital says
The University Medical Center of El Paso said it received two male victims of Wednesday night’s shooting, and that they are both in critical condition.
Feb 15, 9:57 PM EST
Police work to clear mall following shooting
The El Paso Police Department said authorities are gathering witnesses and that it will take time to entirely clear the mall.
Authorities said they believe the scene is secure at this time.
Feb 15, 9:18 PM EST
Suspect in custody: Police
A suspect is in custody and police said they’re looking into the possibility of a second shooter or accomplice.
Feb 15, 8:47 PM EST
Three victims transported to local hospitals, police say
The three victims have been transported to local hospitals, according to an El Paso police spokesman.
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — A local sheriff’s office in Tennessee has suspended two patrol deputies in connection with the death of 29-year-old Memphis resident Tyre Nichols.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release Wednesday that Johntavious Bowers and Jeremy Watkins, who have been deputies since June 2021, were suspended without pay for five days after an administrative investigation into their conduct. The sheriff’s office said both Bowers and Watkins “appeared on the scene following the physical confrontation” on Jan. 7 between Memphis police officers and Nichols, who died from his injuries in a local hospital three days later.
A “thorough review of the circumstances” determined that the two deputies violated several regulations, the sheriff’s office said. Both Bowers and Watkins violated radio communication procedures, mobile video recording system procedures as well as patrol field job duties and responsibilities. Watkins also violated a fourth regulation: operational responsibility of daily activity log at 201 Poplar, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Because I had concerns about two deputies who appeared on the scene following the physical confrontation between police and Tyre Nichols, I ordered this internal investigation,” Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said in a statement Wednesday. “Our investigation was thorough and complete. I am satisfied that the discipline given to these deputies is appropriate and just. We must continue to maintain the highest standards of excellence for the citizens of Shelby County through service, integrity, and accountability.”
According to Watkins’ writeup, obtained by Memphis ABC affiliate WATN-TV, the deputy did not report in his daily activity log that he was at the scene in Memphis on the night of Jan. 7, when Nichols was arrested and beaten by police officers after a traffic stop. Watkins also did not activate his body-worn camera, nor did he notify a supervisor he was on scene, WATN reported, citing his writeup.
Both suspensions went into effect on Wednesday. The sheriff’s office said it “believes it is appropriate to release the outcome of the internal review at this time” due to its “current belief that there will be no charges” against the two deputies from the ongoing investigation by the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Various members of the Memphis Police Department and the Memphis Fire Department have been fired for their alleged involvement in Nichols’ death. Five former Memphis police officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith — have since been arrested and charged with several felonies, including second-degree murder. They were booked into the Shelby County Jail, with bonds set at $350,000 for Martin and Haley and $250,000 for Bean, Mills and Smith, according to the TBI. Online jail records show they have since been released after posting bond.
Mills’ lawyer, Blake Ballin, and the attorney for Martin, William Massey, told reporters last month that their clients were “devastated” about the charges and will be pleading not guilty. The defense attorneys representing Bean, Haley and Smith have either declined to comment or did not respond to ABC News’ previous requests for comment.
Video of the Jan. 7 traffic stop, comprised of footage from the city’s surveillance cameras and the former officers’ body-worn cameras, was made public on Jan. 27. The graphic video, which shows the officers beating Nichols, has sparked nationwide outrage. Nichols’ family has described him as a “beautiful soul” who loved skateboarding and was a father to a 4-year-old son.
According to a preliminary independent autopsy commissioned by Nichols’ family and released by their lawyers, he suffered from “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.”
Neither the independent autopsy report nor official autopsy report have been publicly released.
(EL PASO, Texas) — One person is dead and three others injured after a shooting at the Cielo Vista mall in El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, authorities said.
Two suspects are now in custody, according to police.
The mall is located near a Walmart where 23 people were killed in a racist shooting in August 2019.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 15, 11:29 PM EST
Second suspect in custody, police say
Interim El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas said two suspects are now in custody and there is “no more danger to the public.”
Feb 15, 10:46 PM EST
Third victim in fair condition, medical center says
The Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso said it’s treating the third victim, who is listed in fair condition.
Feb 15, 10:25 PM EST
Gov. Greg Abbott says he spoke to mayor
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he spoke to El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser Wednesday night and offered the “full support” of the state.
“Thank you to all law enforcement and first responders who quickly went into action to protect their fellow Texans,” he tweeted.
Feb 15, 10:19 PM EST
Rep. Veronica Escobar: Shooting ‘has brought back traumatic memories’
Rep. Veronica Escobar, who represents Texas’ 16th District, which includes El Paso, tweeted Wednesday that the shooting “has brought back traumatic memories for many of us. Please know you are not alone.”
“Call El Paso’s crisis help line at ; there is help for you 24 hours, 7 days a week,” she wrote.
Feb 15, 10:15 PM EST
Police say it’s too early to speculate on motive
It’s too early to speculate on a motive, or whether the shooting was targeted or random, El Paso police said.
One suspect is in custody and police were looking into whether or not there’s an outstanding suspect, authorities said.
Right now, police said, the focus is making sure the injured are taken care of and securing the mall, and an investigation will be conducted.
Feb 15, 10:15 PM EST
‘Chaotic scene’ after shots fired: Police
It was a “chaotic scene” in the mall after shots were fired and “people did flee,” the El Paso Police Department said during a briefing Wednesday night.
“It does cause panic,” police said.
The suspect was taken into custody inside the mall, according to police.
Feb 15, 9:59 PM EST
Two male patients in critical condition, hospital says
The University Medical Center of El Paso said it received two male victims of Wednesday night’s shooting, and that they are both in critical condition.
Feb 15, 9:57 PM EST
Police work to clear mall following shooting
The El Paso Police Department said authorities are gathering witnesses and that it will take time to entirely clear the mall.
Authorities said they believe the scene is secure at this time.
Feb 15, 9:18 PM EST
Suspect in custody: Police
A suspect is in custody and police said they’re looking into the possibility of a second shooter or accomplice.
Feb 15, 8:47 PM EST
Three victims transported to local hospitals, police say
The three victims have been transported to local hospitals, according to an El Paso police spokesman.
(ST. LOUIS) — A court granted a St. Louis family an order of protection on Wednesday against a woman charged with harassing the family for over a year.
Judy Kline, 54, did not appear in court virtually or in person, according to Joel Currier, a media liaison for the Judicial Circuit Court in Missouri.
One of the family members, Guadalupe Rivera-Gonzalez, testified virtually, alleging that Kline came to their house several times since January 2022. Rivera-Gonzalez said Kline threatened her family with a hammer and claimed that she and her family are not U.S. citizens, according to Currier. The family is Mexican American.
The protection order prevents Kline from coming within 300 feet of the family’s residence, car, workplace, or “any place they may be found.” It also bars Kline from stalking, abusing or molesting the family, communicating with them, and from entering their property.
The family’s daughter Fatima Suarez posted Ring camera videos of the alleged encounters with Kline on TikTok, gaining millions of views. The footage appears to show a woman yelling into the camera, going through their mail and making racist remarks towards the family.
Last week, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s office said in a statement that it “elevated the warrant application related to this case.” Kline was criminally charged with three felonies: burglary, property damage and unlawful use of a weapon.
In the Ring camera footage, Kline yells, “What the hell are you doing in my home,” according to a probable cause statement sent to ABC News by the circuit attorney’s office.
Suarez said in her testimony that Kline continued the harassment earlier this month.
“You’re not American, get off of my property,” Kline can be heard saying in one of the videos that Suarez posted. In another video, Kline said, “Did you have something to do with 9/11?”
In one incident, Kline allegedly used a hammer to break into the basement door window by breaking the glass on the door, according to the probable cause statement. Suarez said her father and then-4-year-old sister were in the house during the alleged break-in.
“The victim stated that once inside, [Kline] yelled insults at him, while holding the hammer over her head,” the probable cause statement said, referring to the father.
Fatima Suarez previously told ABC News, “I’ll do anything to protect [my parents] and I don’t want them to ever feel uncomfortable in their own home.”
The full order of protection against Kline is effective through Feb. 14, 2024.
Kline did not respond to multiple attempts by ABC News to reach her. Attorney information for Kline was not immediately available.
The Suarez family and their attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Emily Curiel/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(ST. LOUIS) — After serving nearly three decades of a life sentence, Lamar Johnson officially walks free for a crime he has always insisted he did not commit.
“This is unbelievable,” he told reporters in the courthouse lobby after the conviction was overturned.
On Tuesday, Missouri Circuit Judge David Mason vacated Johnson’s sentence, stating that there was convincing and reliable evidence of “actual innocence” to overturn the conviction.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, working in conjunction with the Innocence Project, filed a motion seeking Johnson’s release in August.
In 1994, Johnson was convicted of murder for the killing of Marcus Boyd, who was shot to death on his front porch by two masked men. Boyd’s death arose from a dispute over drug money, said police and prosecutors investigating the case. Johnson maintained his innocence from the beginning, citing his girlfriend as an alibi, and claimed he was with her miles away when the crime was committed.
Johnson also stated that he stepped outside for a few minutes to sell drugs on a corner several blocks from where the victim was killed, as reported by AP News.
The judge decided to revisit Johnson’s case after a key witness and prison inmate confessed to killing Boyd, affirming Johnson’s innocence.
James Howard, the key witness, admitted that he shot Boyd in the back of head and neck, while accompanying the second suspect Phil Campbell, who was sentenced to a seven-year term after pleading guilty.
Howard, who was never charged in the murder, is currently serving a life sentence for murder and other crimes which occurred years after Boyd was killed. During a weeklong hearing in December, Howard took the stand, again admitting that he and Campbell, who has since died, killed Boyd that night before St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gardner. Howard said he came forward because he felt guilty for putting Johnson in prison for a crime he did not commit.
Gardner is currently reviewing whether or not Howard should be charged with Boyd’s murder, as reported by the Kansas City Star.
Another man, James Gregory Elking, also testified saying he was on the front porch with Boyd when the two gunmen attacked. Initially, Elking testified that he couldn’t identify the gunmen, but was pressured to pick someone from a lineup of people. Elking named Johnson as one of the killers. He later recanted this testimony.
Johnson’s girlfriend Erika Barrow confirmed these details. Barrow testified that she was with Johnson the entire night, except during a brief five-minute period when he left to make a drug deal at a nearby house. Barrow noted that the distance between the friend’s home and Boyd’s home would have made it impossible for Johnson to get there and back in five minutes.
After the Missouri Supreme Court denied Johnson’s request for a new trial in March 2021 – stating Gardner lacked authority to seek one – a state law was passed to make it easier for prosecutors to get new hearings.
The law helped free Kevin Strickland, another longtime inmate who had been imprisoned for more than 40 years due to a Kansas City triple murder.
A statement from Johnson’s legal team read: “While today brings joy, nothing can restore all that the State stole from him. Nothing will give him back the nearly three decades he lost while separated from his daughters and family.”
Johnson said he plans to reconnect with his family and enjoy experiences he says he was unjustly denied for nearly 30 years while in prison.
Johnson’s lawyers said the state attorney general was content with the initial conviction, disregarding Johnson’s plea for innocence.
A spokeswoman for the attorney general defended his actions, but said he will honor the judge’s decision.
“As he stated when he was sworn in, Attorney General Bailey is committed to enforcing the laws as written. Our office defended the rule of law and worked to uphold the original verdict that a jury of Johnson’s peers deemed to be appropriate based on the facts presented at trial,” said AG Bailey’s press secretary Madeline Sieren in a statement.
“The court has spoken, and no further action will be taken in this case.”
(EAST PALESTINE, Ohio) — East Palestine, Ohio, is the kind of town where neighbors greet each other at the store and lean on each other during hard times.
Now, in the wake of a massive train derailment that expelled hazardous materials into the air, ground and water, residents are grappling with the fear that their hometown is no longer safe to reside in.
People who live in the northeast Ohio town are scared to return home, despite officials telling them that there are no more concerning toxic chemicals in the air, soil or water, residents and community advocates told ABC News.
On Feb. 3, a train carrying several toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, spilling the hazardous materials. A controlled burn that occurred over the next several days expelled even more toxic gases, prompting a mandatory evacuation for residents living within a 1-mile radius of the crash site due to the potentially deadly risks posed by inhalation in high concentrations.
State officials maintained during a press conference hosted by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday that the air, soil and water surrounding the crash site remain safe enough for residents to return. While some of the waterways remained contaminated, state officials contended that those tributaries were contained and that the water supply was not affected.
Many residents say they don’t believe those claims.
Resident Ashley McCollum, who said she could see the flames and giant plume of smoke from the controlled burn, told ABC News that she and her children are too afraid to return home. They don’t know what, if any, chemicals made their way inside their home or which objects are contaminated, she said.
“I’m just really unsure,” she said. “There’s so much information out there, and we don’t really know an exact answer.”
Air quality monitors have been placed in several locations in McCollum’s neighborhood. Even though the meters are reading zero, the stench of chemicals remains in the air, making residents uneasy about whether it is safe to be there, McCollum said.
Among the health effects that could result from coming in contact or inhaling the chemicals are burning and irritation of the skin and eyes, irritation of the nose and throat, causing shortness of breath and coughing, dizziness, drowsiness, headache and vomiting, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I don’t believe the reading’s accurate,” she said. “If I can smell it, and it’s alarming enough that it’s not a good smell, it makes me feel like I shouldn’t be in the area.”
The primary emotion in the community at the moment is fear about what the situation might develop into, Jayne Conroy, an attorney at Simmons Hanly Conroy, told ABC News. The firm is representing residents in a class action lawsuit against the derailed train’s operator, Norfolk Southern Railway.
Norfolk Southern said in a statement Tuesday that it has helped 1,000 families as well as a number of businesses in the community. The railway operator said it also distributed $1.2 million to families to cover costs related to the evacuation.
“We are committed to East Palestine today and in the future,” said Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw in the statement. “We will be judged by our actions. We are cleaning up the site in an environmentally responsible way, reimbursing residents affected by the derailment, and working with members of the community to identify what is needed to help East Palestine recover and thrive.”
The most common concern Conroy says she has heard among residents is concern for their health and their children’s health.
Experts say the chemicals are likely not sticking around.
Vinyl chloride, phosgene, benzene and hydrogen chloride have a short half-life, and the concentrations in the air will be low because the fire is no longer active and the chemicals are no longer being released, Ashok Kumar, a professor in the University of Toledo’s department of civil and environmental engineering, told ABC News.
“Atmospheric dispersion of chemicals in air due to wind will help reducing the concentrations of chemicals,” Kumar said, adding that the public will not be subject to high concentrations of these chemicals — which was the immediate concern in the aftermath of the derailment.
The four hazardous chemicals that were aboard the train, vinyl chloride, thylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene, do not persist in the environment on a long-term basis and tend to evaporate quickly, Christopher Reddy, a senior scientist at the Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, told ABC News.
“They are not persistent,” he said. “They are compounds that do break down.”
Community concerns are common following these types of disasters, Reddy said.
“The people who are impacted want answers because it’s directly related to their lives and livelihood,” he added.
Consumer advocate Erin Brockovich, who became a household name after Julia Roberts played her in the 2000 film about her fight against an energy corporation over groundwater contamination in California, told ABC News that the residents feel they have been given misinformation about the town’s safety.
“They don’t trust the information that’s there,” Brockovich said. “And they’re scared.”
Many residents returned home after evacuation orders were lifted on Feb. 8, but concerns were reignited after state officials recommended that residents with private water sources drink bottled water until their wells have been tested, Brockovich said.
“This community just doesn’t feel they’re being seen, they’re being heard,” Brockovich said.
Brockovich said she is concerned about the “deeper systemic problem” of how industries are treating the environment.
The small town, which houses roughly 4,700 residents, will continue to be impacted by the disaster, McCollum said.
“I feel like more people that have been here a long time are leaving,” she said.
ABC News’ Brandon Chase, Lourdes Leahy, Will McDuffie and Alex Presha contributed to this report.
(HUNTSVILLE, Ala.) — Two fatalities were reported after a Black Hawk helicopter crashed onto an Alabama highway Wednesday afternoon, a U.S. official confirmed to ABC News.
The crash occurred on Highway 53 near the intersection of Burrell Road in Madison County, near the Alabama-Tennessee border, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
The helicopter belonged to the Tennessee National Guard, according to a U.S. official.
The Madison County Sheriff’s office received a distress call on its 911 system around 3 p.m., spokesperson Brent Patterson told ABC News.
First responders who arrived first at the scene found the helicopter “engulfed in flames,” Patterson said. The aircraft was a “total loss,” and given the extent of visible damage, they determined there were no survivors, he said.
Troopers with the agency and deputies from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office were securing the scene.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office advised of road closures in the area following the crash.
“We anticipate evening traffic to experience heavy delays in this area throughout the evening,” the sheriff’s office said.
Tammy Adams told Huntsville, Alabama, ABC affiliate WAAY that she heard what sounded like a car without a muffler before seeing the helicopter fly overhead.
“Then bam, we heard a hit,” she told the station. “We saw it hit the ground and it exploded.”
She said she said a prayer for those onboard.
“We knew there could not be anybody surviving that,” she told WAAY.
Chermonica Johnson also told WAAY she said a prayer after witnessing the devastating crash.
“There’s nothing there, at all,” she told the station. “You can’t even tell it was an aircraft.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(EAST LANSING, Mich.) — Three students were killed and five others were injured when a gunman opened fire at two locations on Michigan State University’s main campus in East Lansing on Monday night, police said.
After an hourslong manhunt, police found the suspect — identified as 43-year-old Anthony McRae — dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound off campus.
All five injured students were in critical condition as of Tuesday, officials said.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 15, 7:17 PM EST
Thousands gather on campus for memorial vigil
Thousands of mourners gathered at Michigan State University’s campus Wednesday night to pay their respects to the students who were shot Monday.
School president Teresa K. Woodruff spoke at the event, which included poems, songs and reflections from students and elected officials including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“We remember and honor the three Spartan students so cruelly taken from their families, friends and us.” she said. “Each came to join the very special, this extraordinary campus.”
Whitmer, a Michigan State alum, spoke about the courageous efforts that students and teachers did to help the wounded. She said she spoke to one of the hospitalized victims who told her that a fellow student took off their shirt and used it to put pressure on his wound and save his life.
“Countless Spartans were heroes,” the governor said.
Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo said he also visited the hospital where some of the wounded were recuperating and called on the community to keep those victims in their thoughts.
He also urged the campus community to take comfort in their friends and family as they process the violence.
“We all process trauma in a very different way, I’m just glad we’re all here tonight.”
Feb 15, 1:26 PM EST
MSU students protest at Michigan capitol
Michigan State students channeled their grief into protest as they gathered at the capitol in Lansing to urge gun reform.
Hundreds braved cold and windy weather as they sat on the building’s majestic steps and listened to sympathetic and angry speeches calling for legislative action to curb the violence they and students across the nation have been exposed to.
-ABC News’ Andy Fies
Feb 15, 7:13 AM EST
Communities mourn victims at vigils across Michigan
Hundreds of people gathered at memorials, prayer services and candlelight vigils across Michigan on Tuesday night to honor the three students who were killed and five others who were injured in Monday’s mass shooting at Michigan State University.
More vigils are planned for the rest of the week, including one scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET at The Rock, a 149-year-old landmark on MSU’s main campus in East Lansing.
Feb 15, 6:06 AM EST
MSU students recount deadly mass shooting on campus
Michigan State University student Dominik Molotky was in class on Monday evening when he heard a gunshot in the hallway, just outside the door.
“I was sitting next to the nearest door and thank god that my fight-or-flight response kicked in because, right when that first gunshot went off, I booked it to the far corner of the class,” Molotky, a senior, told ABC News in an interview Tuesday on Good Morning America.
A couple seconds later, the gunman entered the classroom and fired “three to four more rounds,” Molotky said.
“I was ducking and covering,” he recalled. “I think one of the students in my class got hit.”
When the gunfire stopped for “30 seconds to a minute,” Molotky said he and his classmates started breaking open a window so they could escape.
“There was glass everywhere,” he added. “We broke open the window and climbed out of there, and I booked it back to my apartment.”
Molotky and other students recounted their horrifying experiences as the mass shooting unfolded at multiple locations on MSU’s main campus in East Lansing, Michigan.
Feb 15, 5:42 AM EST
MSU student survives bloodshed 14 months after another mass shooting
ABC News spoke to Matt Riddle, who said his daughter survived the bloodshed at Michigan State University on Monday night, 14 months after surviving another deadly mass shooting at a high school in Oxford, Michigan.
The shooting at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021, left four people dead and seven others wounded.
“Having been through it in Oxford … it helped her understand what she needs to do in these situations,” Riddle told ABC News during an interview on Tuesday night. “I don’t like that she has those tools. I wish she didn’t, but she does.”
Feb 14, 7:58 PM EST
Classes to resume on Monday
Classes at Michigan State, which have been canceled in the wake of the tragic shooting, will resume on Monday, school officials said.
A vigil is also planned on campus Wednesday night in honor of the victims, all of whom were students at the school, officials said.
“We are devastated by this tragedy and wrap our collective arms around the victims’ families and friends who face unimaginable injury and loss,” Kim Tobin, vice president of university advancement, said in a statement Wednesday announcing the details.
Feb 14, 6:27 PM EST
Victim Arielle Anderson remembered for passion to help others
Arielle Anderson, a junior from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, was one of the three Michigan State students killed in the shooting. Her family remembered her as a “precious daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin, and friend” in a statement shared Tuesday evening through her mother’s employer, Comerica Bank.
“As much as we loved her, she loved us and others even more,” the family said. “She was passionate about helping her friends and family, assisting children and serving people.”
Anderson, who was described as “sweet and loving with an infectious smile,” wanted to be a surgeon, her family said.
“Driven by her aspiration to tend to the health and welfare of others as a surgeon, she was working diligently to graduate from Michigan State University early to achieve her goals as quickly as possible,” the family said.
“We are absolutely devastated by this heinous act of violence upon her and many other innocent victims,” the statement added.
Feb 14, 3:26 PM EST
University releases names of victims
The three Michigan State students killed in the shooting have been identified by university police.
Brian Fraser, a sophomore, and Arielle Anderson, a junior, were both from Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
Alexandria Verner, a junior, was from Clawson, Michigan.
Five other students remain in the hospital in critical condition following the attack.
Feb 14, 2:19 PM EST
Suspect walked from his home to campus, viewed himself as ‘loner’
The FBI offered new details on the suspected gunman in a confidential briefing to law enforcement on Tuesday.
Investigators have determined 43-year-old Anthony McRae walked from his home to Michigan State and had no connection to the university or the victims.
Authorities said that when McRae was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, he had a “3-page document expressing his reasons for the attack and a number of additional locations in Lansing and Holt, Mich.; Ewing Township and Franklin Park, NJ; and Colorado Springs, Colo., which had ‘hurted’ (sic) him and, therefore, were deserving of attack.” Agents believe he had “personal grievances” with people at those locations.
McRae lived with his father, who is cooperating with the investigation, the FBI reported.
Investigators said the suspect’s writings confirmed he “was often alone.” The briefing said the gunman viewed himself as “a loner” and an “outcast” who was “never noticed or accepted by others.”
-ABC News’ Josh Margolin
Feb 14, 1:12 PM EST
Biden urges Congress to ‘enact commonsense gun law reforms’
President Joe Biden said in a statement Tuesday, “Our hearts are with these young victims and their families, the broader East Lansing and Lansing communities, and all Americans across the country grieving as the result of gun violence.”
Biden noted that the Michigan State mass shooting came one night before the U.S. marked five years since the Parkland, Florida, high school massacre. In the Feb. 14, 2018 school shooting in Parkland, 17 students and staff were gunned down.
“I have taken action to combat this epidemic in America, including a historic number of executive actions and the first significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years, but we must do more,” Biden said.
He stressed, “Congress must do something and enact commonsense gun law reforms, including requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, closing loopholes in our background check system, requiring safe storage of guns, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets. Action is what we owe to those grieving today in Michigan and across America.”
Feb 14, 1:04 PM EST
Timeline of the shooting
The first active shooter call came in at 8:18 p.m. from Berkey Hall, an academic building, and the university immediately told students to shelter in place, the Michigan State University Police Department said.
Shots were fired soon after at the student union.
At about 11 p.m., the suspected gunman was seen on campus security cameras, police said.
Images of the suspect were shared with the public at 11:18 p.m., police said.
At about 11:35 p.m., a caller’s tip led police to the suspect, authorities said.
Feb 14, 12:36 PM EST
Suspect had 2 guns, numerous magazines
The suspected shooter, 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae, lived in Lansing, officials said.
The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound as law enforcement was approaching, a law enforcement source briefed on the situation said.
The source added that a firearm was recovered at the scene, and a second firearm was found in a backpack along with numerous magazines.
McRae served 18 months in prison between 2019 and 2021 on a weapons charge for having a loaded weapon in his vehicle, according to Michigan’s Department of Corrections.
-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman, Luke Barr and Josh Margolin
Feb 14, 12:25 PM EST
Michigan State police releases names of 2 victims
Two of the three Michigan State students killed in the shooting have been identified by university police.
Brian Fraser, a sophomore, was from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, while Alexandria Verner, a junior, was from Clawson. Authorities said they will not be naming the third victim at the request of the family.
Five other students remain in the hospital following the attack.
Feb 14, 11:56 AM EST
Shock, fear, confusion at Michigan State
At Michigan State, students and staff are overcome with shock, fear and confusion, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor told ABC News’ GMA3.
“It’s a terrible time. No mayor, no governor, no elected official ever wants to be up all night or wake up to a situation like this,” he said.
Schor said mental health resources are available.
Schor said the five injured students “are critical but stable.”
“It’s touch and go,” he said. “and the doctors are doing their best to work as aggressively as possible.”
Feb 14, 11:02 AM EST
Suspect had note indicating threat to NJ schools
When the suspect, 43-year-old Anthony McRae, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said there was a note in his pocket indicating a threat to two public schools in Ewing, New Jersey, according to Ewing police.
McRae had local ties to Ewing but hasn’t lived in the area in several years, police said.
Ewing Public Schools are closed on Tuesday out of an abundance of caution, police said. However, no threat has been found and schools are expected to reopen on Wednesday, police said.
McRae “had a history of mental health issues,” police added.
Feb 14, 8:47 AM EST
No motive known
No motive is known, police said. The 43-year-old suspect, Anthony McRae, had no known connection to the university, according to authorities.
After police released the suspect’s photo, a tip from a caller led authorities to finding him, officials said.
A search warrant has been executed at a home, police said.
Feb 14, 8:14 AM EST
Michigan leaders call out US gun violence
At a news conference Tuesday, Michigan leaders called out the prevalence of U.S. gun violence.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said, “I cannot believe I am here again doing this 15 months later,” speaking at the scene of another Michigan school shooting, referring to the November 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School where four students were killed and several others were injured.
“I am filled with rage that we have to have another press conference about our children being killed in schools,” she said.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer added, “We’re all broken by an all-too-familiar feeling.”
“We cannot keep living like this,” she said. “Our children are scared to go to school. People feel unsafe in their houses of worship or local stores.”
Feb 14, 6:00 AM EST
City manager thanks ‘brave’ first responders after ‘horrific act of violence’
Interim East Lansing City Manager Randy Talifarro described Monday night’s mass shooting at Michigan State University as a “horrific act of violence.”
“The City of East Lansing is mourning the devastating shooting that occurred on the campus of Michigan State University tonight,” Talifarro said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to all of the victims of this horrific act of violence as well as their family and friends. East Lansing and MSU have always shared in each other’s victories and each other’s losses. Tonight, we hold space while we grapple with this devastating loss of life together.”
Talifarro also thanked the “brave first responders who quickly responded to MSU’s campus.”
“Against every natural instinct they ran towards the sound of danger, seeking not their own wellbeing, but instead to protect and serve those in need,” he said. “And we stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone impacted by tonight’s events. Please know that you’re not alone in your grief. We stand with you and will be here as we seek to heal as a community.”
City buildings and offices, including city hall, the public library and the district court, will be closed to the general public on Tuesday. Essential city employees will be reporting to work.
Drop-in counseling services will be available for members of the community at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center beginning at 9 a.m. ET.
