Pensacola, FL – A natural gas release caused the deadly explosion that killed two people and injured 184 more at the Escambia County Central Booking and Detention Facility last week, authorities have announced.
Multiple inmates reported they smelled gas in the jail prior to the April 30 explosion that killed inmates Robert Earl Simmons and David Paul Weinstein and paralyzed correctional officer Christopher Hankinson from the waist down.
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Although officials have confirmed the source of the blast, the investigation of how the gas release occurred and whether jail officials responded to it appropriately continues.
“The on-scene phase of our investigation may be complete, but there is still much to be learned,” Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jeff Atwater said in a written statement. “Our investigators will continue to work day and night with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the State Attorney’s Office to uncover all of the answers victims and their families deserve to know.”
State Attorney Bill Eddins told the Associated Press that it was possible criminal negligence charges could be filed against jail officials if they knew about the gas leak and failed to act.