I have to say that I have evidently been in a news blackout for the past few days, because last night as I was reading about what appeared to be a conspiracy-like relationship between the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tax, and Firearms and the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office, I certainly received a shock. But it should not have been quite as shocking, as I remember the night this terrible tragedy happened.
The "conspiracy" I alluded to is the fact that the State Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tax, and Firearms have cooperated in keeping another federal agency out of the investigation. That is material for another blog. The bigger news is that one of West's own first responders was arrested for possessing bomb-making materials.
Even while fires burned and rescue efforts were underway, the various news services played some of the 9-1-1 calls and radio traffic recordings on the news broadcasts. As I listened in shock and disbelief, a part of me was listening to this information as a trained (but long-since de-commissioned) police officer. And what I heard that very night put me on edge. It did not seem to register with most of the people, or at least there was no ado made about it in the media. But, one of the first responders said very clearly over his radio, "A bomb has just gone off at the plant!" This person, whose name I cannot remember, or even if the person was ever identified publicly, did not say, "It was JUST LIKE A BOMB went off at the plant," or "the explosion was LIKE A BOMB!" He very clearly stated that "a bomb just went off..."
Psychologists, as well as police officers and investigators, know that people tend to say EXACTLY what they mean during a time of high stress, crisis, danger, or when death is imminent. The last scenario gives rise to the legal term "dying declaration," or a person's last words which are assumed by courts at law to be true because of the fear, stress, or desire to clear one's conscience, that gives great weight to these "last words." More importantly to peace officers, however, is the well-proven tendency for people, particularly criminal suspects, to tell the truth when they are experiencing moments of high stress. In this situation, a suspect or interviewee will INADVERTENTLY tell the truth about something, then later deny the statement or try to explain what he "meant to say." Thus, the first responder who made the statement that "a bomb has gone off" inadvertently provided information HE COULD NOT HAVE KNOWN as a first responder, unless he knew about the device or if HE PLANTED THE DEVICE HIMSELF. Since emergency communications are now routinely recorded, these words are forever preserved in the McLennan County emergency communications system. Identifying the speaker would be a simple matter and has most likely long since been done.
Now, it turns out (and I still cannot believe I did not hear this news earlier!), that first responder Bryce Reed of West, Texas has been arrested for possession of bomb-making materials and explosives. Granted, this is the United States and a person is innocent until proven guilty in court, so therefore I am making no assumptions, and trusting (gadzooks!) the government to investigate this offense fully, and to either eliminate Reed as a suspect in what is already a criminal investigation of the explosion of the fertilizer factory in West, or gather enough evidence to arrest and prosecute him. This latest turn of events is numbing to me, and I have no doubt that the shock and loss that the people of West experienced and are still living through has been increased a hundred-fold by this latest revelation. Is it really possible that their own friend and neighbor could have perpetrated this terrible thing? Unfortunately this is a very real possibility.
The authorities are at this point going out of their way to assure us that Reed's arrest for possession of bomb-making materials is totally unrelated to the ongoing criminal investigation. That is a prudent thing for them to do at the moment. But given all the information available, as well as Reed's self-appointment as a "spokesman" during the early hours after the blast, and his statement that he and Cyrus Reed (one of the dead firefighters) were brothers, which they are not, a dark cloud of suspicion certainly surrounds Bryce Reed, and demands that he be fully investigated as a prime suspect in this terrible tragedy, now probably a multiple-homicide by arson.
I hope that Bryce Reed had some other reason for possession of explosive devices, although there is no good reason for an untrained person to possess explosives. Here I am assuming that he WAS untrained, given that I do not know his background, such as whether he has indeed had explosives training or EOD experience. Assumptions are worthless things, I know, and should be used sparingly. It may be that the fire and explosion at that fertilizer factory were accidental, and that Bryce Reed's alleged possession of bomb-making devices truly had no bearing on the West explosion. I sincerely hope that is the case. An accident of this magnitude is so tragic and so overwhelming in itself. The idea that the explosion was the result of criminal activity by a member of the West community becomes sickening and outrageous beyond words. The alleged bombers of the Boston Marathon were no worse that the perpetrator of the explosion at West. All were terrorists, whether religious extremists, anti-government extremists, or just murderers, pure and simple.
The people of West are in my thoughts all the time. Just because the "news" has moved on does not mean that recovery is complete, or ever will be. Now the news that the fire and explosion potentially were caused by criminal activity is a severe blow to the progress toward recovery. And the possibility that one of their own is the criminal has to be a mind-numbing blow to those already overwhelmed by the tragedy and loss. I hope that the explosion was a tragic accident, but if it was not, then I hope that the police carefully make their case and then arrest the person responsible for the murder of fifteen people, the injury of two hundred others, and the devastation of at least one third of the town. Unfortunately, that person may well be in custody at this very moment.
God bless the people of West, Texas.
The "conspiracy" I alluded to is the fact that the State Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tax, and Firearms have cooperated in keeping another federal agency out of the investigation. That is material for another blog. The bigger news is that one of West's own first responders was arrested for possessing bomb-making materials.
Even while fires burned and rescue efforts were underway, the various news services played some of the 9-1-1 calls and radio traffic recordings on the news broadcasts. As I listened in shock and disbelief, a part of me was listening to this information as a trained (but long-since de-commissioned) police officer. And what I heard that very night put me on edge. It did not seem to register with most of the people, or at least there was no ado made about it in the media. But, one of the first responders said very clearly over his radio, "A bomb has just gone off at the plant!" This person, whose name I cannot remember, or even if the person was ever identified publicly, did not say, "It was JUST LIKE A BOMB went off at the plant," or "the explosion was LIKE A BOMB!" He very clearly stated that "a bomb just went off..."
Psychologists, as well as police officers and investigators, know that people tend to say EXACTLY what they mean during a time of high stress, crisis, danger, or when death is imminent. The last scenario gives rise to the legal term "dying declaration," or a person's last words which are assumed by courts at law to be true because of the fear, stress, or desire to clear one's conscience, that gives great weight to these "last words." More importantly to peace officers, however, is the well-proven tendency for people, particularly criminal suspects, to tell the truth when they are experiencing moments of high stress. In this situation, a suspect or interviewee will INADVERTENTLY tell the truth about something, then later deny the statement or try to explain what he "meant to say." Thus, the first responder who made the statement that "a bomb has gone off" inadvertently provided information HE COULD NOT HAVE KNOWN as a first responder, unless he knew about the device or if HE PLANTED THE DEVICE HIMSELF. Since emergency communications are now routinely recorded, these words are forever preserved in the McLennan County emergency communications system. Identifying the speaker would be a simple matter and has most likely long since been done.
Now, it turns out (and I still cannot believe I did not hear this news earlier!), that first responder Bryce Reed of West, Texas has been arrested for possession of bomb-making materials and explosives. Granted, this is the United States and a person is innocent until proven guilty in court, so therefore I am making no assumptions, and trusting (gadzooks!) the government to investigate this offense fully, and to either eliminate Reed as a suspect in what is already a criminal investigation of the explosion of the fertilizer factory in West, or gather enough evidence to arrest and prosecute him. This latest turn of events is numbing to me, and I have no doubt that the shock and loss that the people of West experienced and are still living through has been increased a hundred-fold by this latest revelation. Is it really possible that their own friend and neighbor could have perpetrated this terrible thing? Unfortunately this is a very real possibility.
The authorities are at this point going out of their way to assure us that Reed's arrest for possession of bomb-making materials is totally unrelated to the ongoing criminal investigation. That is a prudent thing for them to do at the moment. But given all the information available, as well as Reed's self-appointment as a "spokesman" during the early hours after the blast, and his statement that he and Cyrus Reed (one of the dead firefighters) were brothers, which they are not, a dark cloud of suspicion certainly surrounds Bryce Reed, and demands that he be fully investigated as a prime suspect in this terrible tragedy, now probably a multiple-homicide by arson.
I hope that Bryce Reed had some other reason for possession of explosive devices, although there is no good reason for an untrained person to possess explosives. Here I am assuming that he WAS untrained, given that I do not know his background, such as whether he has indeed had explosives training or EOD experience. Assumptions are worthless things, I know, and should be used sparingly. It may be that the fire and explosion at that fertilizer factory were accidental, and that Bryce Reed's alleged possession of bomb-making devices truly had no bearing on the West explosion. I sincerely hope that is the case. An accident of this magnitude is so tragic and so overwhelming in itself. The idea that the explosion was the result of criminal activity by a member of the West community becomes sickening and outrageous beyond words. The alleged bombers of the Boston Marathon were no worse that the perpetrator of the explosion at West. All were terrorists, whether religious extremists, anti-government extremists, or just murderers, pure and simple.
The people of West are in my thoughts all the time. Just because the "news" has moved on does not mean that recovery is complete, or ever will be. Now the news that the fire and explosion potentially were caused by criminal activity is a severe blow to the progress toward recovery. And the possibility that one of their own is the criminal has to be a mind-numbing blow to those already overwhelmed by the tragedy and loss. I hope that the explosion was a tragic accident, but if it was not, then I hope that the police carefully make their case and then arrest the person responsible for the murder of fifteen people, the injury of two hundred others, and the devastation of at least one third of the town. Unfortunately, that person may well be in custody at this very moment.
God bless the people of West, Texas.
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