Sat Jul 21, 2012, 08:19 AM

maddezmom (130,842 posts)

Police May Set Off Booby Traps In Colorado Massacre Suspect James Holmes’ Apartment

Last edited Sat Jul 21, 2012, 10:08 AM USA/ET - Edit history (2)

Source: CBS/AP

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - Investigators are preparing to detonate shooting suspect James Holmes’ apartment building, perhaps as early as today, CBS News reports.
¬snip¬

He says he rigged his apartment with a complex system of booby traps and explosives, and police say they have found no way of safely diffusing them.

FBI agents and police used a hook-and-ladder fire truck to reach Holmes’ apartment. They put a camera at the end of a 12-foot pole inside the apartment and discovered the unit was booby-trapped. Authorities evacuated five buildings as they tried to figure how to disarm the flammable and explosive material.

“It is a very vexing problem how to enter that apartment safely,” Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates says. “I personally haven’t seen anything like what the pictures show us is in there. I’m a layman when it comes to bomb stuff, (but) I see an awful lot of wires, trip wires, jars full of ammunition … jars full of liquids, mortar rounds. We have a lot of challenges to get in there safely.”

Read more: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/07/21/police-may-set-off-booby-traps-in-colorado-massacre-suspect-james-holmes-apartment/

ETA this since I missed it yesterday.

AP Source: Colo. shooting suspect not cooperating

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The suspect in a shooting that killed or wounded 71 people early Friday in a suburban Denver movie theater is not talking to investigators, a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press.

http://www.cbs8.com/story/19077218/ap-source-colo-shooting-suspect-not-cooperating

Police: Colo. shooting suspect trapped apartment

By By STEVEN K. PAULSON – 9 minutes ago

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Police are trying to enter the Colorado shooting suspect's apartment but have been forced to move cautiously after spotting booby traps with trip wires.

Firefighters are monitoring the Aurora apartment building for gases in an effort to determine what chemicals 24-year-old James Holmes might have used to trap the place — in case the materials go off, authorities said.

¬snip¬

FBI agents and police discovered it was booby-trapped when they used a camera at the end of a 12-foot pole to look inside.

"It's a pretty extensive booby trap. We're not sure what it's attached to. There are trip wires. There are three containers and we don't know what's inside," said Chris Henderson, deputy Aurora fire chief.

more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j5n9WHjFPhkM1FdiEnlBo3y2mQ5A?docId=6dd74b94c56541c48cee8333db659008

71 replies, 7534 views

Reply to this thread

Always highlight: 10 newest replies | Replies posted after I mark a forum

Replies to this discussion thread

71 replies	Author	Time	Post
Police May Set Off Booby Traps In Colorado Massacre Suspect James Holmes’ Apartment (Original post)	maddezmom	Jul 2012	OP
Why is the Chief of Police a "layman when it comes to bomb stuff" ?	oberliner	Jul 2012	#1
Not every town in the country plans for something like this.	randome	Jul 2012	#4
He was an NYPD officer for over 20 years	oberliner	Jul 2012	#12
Good point about his background.	randome	Jul 2012	#24
Don't those large PDs have specialty units to deal with that kind of shit?	MADem	Jul 2012	#44
I'm not saying he needs to be an expert	oberliner	Jul 2012	#58
The Air Force has a ton of people who don't fly planes, the Navy has a ton of people who don't drive	MADem	Jul 2012	#63
Just to clarify - this is not meant as a knock on the police chief	oberliner	Jul 2012	#66
I took your point...I knew you weren't dissing the guy.	MADem	Jul 2012	#68
Not at all.	boppers	Jul 2012	#6
He was a police officer for 20 years	oberliner	Jul 2012	#11
Police rarely deal with bombs of this complexity	Bjorn Against	Jul 2012	#18
I understand that	oberliner	Jul 2012	#59
No. (nt)	harmonicon	Jul 2012	#10
Becuase he is intelligent enough to know the limits	whistler162	Jul 2012	#19
I would think your answer would be pretty obvious	lunatica	Jul 2012	#26
Agreed	Ready4Change	Jul 2012	#30
He came across as a very competent person, honest to a fault nt	flamingdem	Jul 2012	#35
I don't doubt that	oberliner	Jul 2012	#60
He likely had the same traing every Police Officer has	whistler162	Jul 2012	#70
I agree with you...	slor	Jul 2012	#64
I hope they let people get their stuff. I would be pissed to lose my entire life because	roguevalley	Jul 2012	#39
I read started to allow people back one by one to retrieve personal items	maddezmom	Jul 2012	#40
"Bombs" is not a monolithic concept, especially when they're homemade. (nt)	Posteritatis	Jul 2012	#48
He called himself a layman with respect to "bomb stuff"	oberliner	Jul 2012	#61
Because soundbites for a dumbed-down media always map so perfectly onto reality. (nt)	Posteritatis	Jul 2012	#67
Fair point	oberliner	Jul 2012	#69
A small robot, even a radio control toy	sakabatou	Jul 2012	#2
Couldn't they borrow some military defusing equipment?	randome	Jul 2012	#5
Agreed. Why aren't they working with the military on this.	avebury	Jul 2012	#25
FBI does, too. nt	MADem	Jul 2012	#45
I really feel for his neighbors	spinbaby	Jul 2012	#3
couldn't he call someone that knows more? n/t	Moltisanti	Jul 2012	#7
I'm sure he has	maddezmom	Jul 2012	#8
Heavens- they've had ATF & bomb squads	hlthe2b	Jul 2012	#9
So they've all been outwitted by a 20something kid?	oberliner	Jul 2012	#13
So, you prefer they risk their lives to defuse his booby-trapped apartment	justiceischeap	Jul 2012	#15
Seems to me a nearly perfect, real world testbed for one of those remote-controlled robots we see	Occulus	Jul 2012	#34
Not at all	oberliner	Jul 2012	#62
outwitted? maybe cautious?	maddezmom	Jul 2012	#16
Agreed. This guy wasn't a pro, and in some ways dealing with that is more difficult.	Ready4Change	Jul 2012	#31
This guy was a neuroscience major. Probably had a lot of chemistry and technical background.	JDPriestly	Jul 2012	#47
Yes, dammit! Get cracking!!!!! Hop TO!!! Tick tock, tick tock!!! Now! NOW!!!!!!!	MADem	Jul 2012	#46
We've been nicely trained by techno-thrillers and ticking-bomb scenarios. (nt)	Posteritatis	Jul 2012	#49
There are many occasions when they opt for controlled demolition...	hlthe2b	Jul 2012	#23
I'm sure that will be their last choice.	bluedigger	Jul 2012	#14
Where are AP's editors? "Defusing," not "diffusing."	Nay	Jul 2012	#17
I guess they were finding it difficult	Lucky Luciano	Jul 2012	#21
LOLOL! Guess so!	Nay	Jul 2012	#22
I suspect the editing jobs have been outsourced nt	LiberalEsto	Jul 2012	#38
Probably rely only on spell/grammar check software	Lucky Luciano	Jul 2012	#55
They also on MSNBC said "POLICE DENTONATING BOMB"	Manifestor_of_Light	Jul 2012	#71
Make Holmes open his own damn apartment door.	geek tragedy	Jul 2012	#20
I was thinking the same thing	tularetom	Jul 2012	#28
His father is there and they are probably getting info out of him	flamingdem	Jul 2012	#36
What do you think the odds are that	avebury	Jul 2012	#27
Are you willing to go into his apartment to test this theory of yours?	LisaL	Jul 2012	#29
If they're fakes, then, their plan to simply let them dentonate would be elementary...	Cooley Hurd	Jul 2012	#33
There was speculation that the theater was only his first target.	Ineeda	Jul 2012	#37
I've heard the same thing on local news.	Esse Quam Videri	Jul 2012	#41
That sounds like the plan.	bluedigger	Jul 2012	#50
BloCK BUSTER....	QUALITYCONTRoll	Jul 2012	#32
from live News Conf on CNN, MSNBC	maddezmom	Jul 2012	#42
Thanks for the update.	sakabatou	Jul 2012	#43
twitter feed from Aurora PD says 2nd controll detonation successful	maddezmom	Jul 2012	#51
Any other ordinance, weapons, etc. still in there or is everything a-ok?	sakabatou	Jul 2012	#52
they said this is going to be going on for a while	maddezmom	Jul 2012	#53
Now Aurora Police are saying that all major threats eliminated from the Apt	maddezmom	Jul 2012	#57
It's gonna take a few days to deal with the minor ones.	sakabatou	Jul 2012	#65
Police set off blast inside Colorado theater shooting suspect's apartment	dixiegrrrrl	Jul 2012	#56
dang.. that's effin' messed up	SemperEadem	Jul 2012	#54

Response to maddezmom (Original post)

Sat Jul 21, 2012, 08:24 AM

oberliner (22,134 posts)

1. Why is the Chief of Police a "layman when it comes to bomb stuff" ?

Seems like something a police officer, and especially the chief of police, would have learned something about at some point, no?

Police May Set Off Booby Traps In Colorado Massacre Suspect James Holmes’ Apartment

1. Why is the Chief of Police a "layman when it comes to bomb stuff" ?

4. Not every town in the country plans for something like this.

12. He was an NYPD officer for over 20 years

24. Good point about his background.

44. Don't those large PDs have specialty units to deal with that kind of shit?

58. I'm not saying he needs to be an expert

63. The Air Force has a ton of people who don't fly planes, the Navy has a ton of people who don't drive

66. Just to clarify - this is not meant as a knock on the police chief

68. I took your point...I knew you weren't dissing the guy.

6. Not at all.

11. He was a police officer for 20 years

18. Police rarely deal with bombs of this complexity

59. I understand that

10. No. (nt)

19. Becuase he is intelligent enough to know the limits

26. I would think your answer would be pretty obvious

30. Agreed

35. He came across as a very competent person, honest to a fault nt

60. I don't doubt that

70. He likely had the same traing every Police Officer has

64. I agree with you...

39. I hope they let people get their stuff. I would be pissed to lose my entire life because

40. I read started to allow people back one by one to retrieve personal items

48. "Bombs" is not a monolithic concept, especially when they're homemade. (nt)

61. He called himself a layman with respect to "bomb stuff"

67. Because soundbites for a dumbed-down media always map so perfectly onto reality. (nt)

69. Fair point

2. A small robot, even a radio control toy

5. Couldn't they borrow some military defusing equipment?

25. Agreed. Why aren't they working with the military on this.

45. FBI does, too. nt

3. I really feel for his neighbors

7. couldn't he call someone that knows more? n/t

8. I'm sure he has

9. Heavens- they've had ATF & bomb squads

13. So they've all been outwitted by a 20something kid?

15. So, you prefer they risk their lives to defuse his booby-trapped apartment

34. Seems to me a nearly perfect, real world testbed for one of those remote-controlled robots we see

62. Not at all

16. outwitted? maybe cautious?

31. Agreed. This guy wasn't a pro, and in some ways dealing with that is more difficult.

47. This guy was a neuroscience major. Probably had a lot of chemistry and technical background.

46. Yes, dammit! Get cracking!!!!! Hop TO!!! Tick tock, tick tock!!! Now! NOW!!!!!!!

49. We've been nicely trained by techno-thrillers and ticking-bomb scenarios. (nt)

23. There are many occasions when they opt for controlled demolition...

14. I'm sure that will be their last choice.

17. Where are AP's editors? "Defusing," not "diffusing."

21. I guess they were finding it difficult

22. LOLOL! Guess so!

38. I suspect the editing jobs have been outsourced nt

55. Probably rely only on spell/grammar check software

71. They also on MSNBC said "POLICE DENTONATING BOMB"

20. Make Holmes open his own damn apartment door.

28. I was thinking the same thing

36. His father is there and they are probably getting info out of him

27. What do you think the odds are that

29. Are you willing to go into his apartment to test this theory of yours?

33. If they're fakes, then, their plan to simply let them dentonate would be elementary...

37. There was speculation that the theater was only his first target.

41. I've heard the same thing on local news.

50. That sounds like the plan.

32. BloCK BUSTER....

42. from live News Conf on CNN, MSNBC

43. Thanks for the update.

51. twitter feed from Aurora PD says 2nd controll detonation successful

52. Any other ordinance, weapons, etc. still in there or is everything a-ok?

53. they said this is going to be going on for a while

57. Now Aurora Police are saying that all major threats eliminated from the Apt

65. It's gonna take a few days to deal with the minor ones.

56. Police set off blast inside Colorado theater shooting suspect's apartment

54. dang.. that's effin' messed up