Originally published by the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (IABTI) in the Mar/Apr 2019 issue of The Detonator and reprinted here with their permission.
By Spl/Sgt. David Buck
YouTube is full of videos demonstrating the misuse of exploding target material (ETM), and when it causes injury or loss of life, the news cycle spins up as well.
Until December 19, 2018, however, I had been unaware of any incidents related to the use of ETM to target law enforcement personnel.
On that date, a local sheriff’s detective called to ask our bomb squad to take possession of suspected mixed ETM recovered at the scene of an attempted suicide in mid-Michigan. It sounded routine, if there really ever is such a thing. But when all was said and done, we realized just how close the responding tactical team came to not returning home that night.
Call for male subject threatening suicide
The original call came from dispatch as a lone, middle-aged male threatening suicide and discharging a firearm inside his residence. Family members told the responding officers they were worried about the subject’s commercial ETM. [1]
After establishing a perimeter and evacuating the area, the officers waited. When no further shots had been fired and the subject had otherwise been silent for hours, they sent a robot in and found the subject on the second floor, unresponsive in bed as the result of a drug overdose. The officers made entry and secured the large caliber rifle that was found at the subject’s side pointing toward the open doorway. EMS personnel treated the subject and transported him to the hospital.
While checking the scene for further hazards, deputies searched for the containers of commercial ETM. None were located.
An oversize suitcase in the hallway, however, was found to contain a large quantity of small prills coated with a gray powder, consistent in appearance with mixed commercial ETM. Field tests later confirmed the prills as ammonium nitrate and the fine gray powder as a metal. Range testing demonstrated bullet sensitivity.
There was a direct line of sight from the subject’s position in bed to this bag at the top of the stairs. It weighed over 100 lbs.
What were his intentions? Was he planning to kill himself by firing into the bag? Was he going to wait until responding officers approached from the stairs? We will probably never know. [2] But we do know what the possibilities were and would do well to consider this type of scenario.
A firearm pointed at a person presents a threat to that person, and related law enforcement policies and training are well-developed. But that same firearm pointed at a container can pose a threat to an entire group of people, depending on its contents. Have you discussed this threat with your tactical teams and command staff to ensure they appreciate this hazard and understand the appropriate response? There is no simpler explosive device than a person with a firearm and a quantity of mixed ETM within range.
Value of a threat assessment
Besides demonstrating the obvious value of a remote approach in situations like this, we also see the value of a threat assessment:
- Why was the family concerned about the ETM?
- How much was there?
- Was it mixed?
- Did the subject mix it himself and where did the components come from?
- Where was it now?
- Had he ever expressed intentions of using it to harm himself or others?
- What was his attitude towards law enforcement and what did his criminal history indicate?
- What other hazards might be present inside the house?
The place where this occurred is within sight of a main road leading in and out of town. Whenever I drive by, I am struck by the importance of thinking outside the box, because the threat is real and it’s always evolving. And sometimes it hits close to home.
References
1. They used the trade-marked name of a well-known commercial ETM, but there is no need to use that term here because no commercial containers or labels were found at the scene. That term is often used to refer to any of the many commercial brands of ETM, or for an improvised or homemade blend, which is likely what we were dealing with.
2. After being hospitalized for weeks, the subject was discharged without notice, and shortly thereafter committed suicide by targeting and crashing into a slow-moving semi-trailer while fleeing an officer attempting to arrest him on multiple warrants.
About the author
Spl/Sgt. David Buck has been an FBI-certified bomb technician with the Michigan State Police since 2003. He also works part time as a trainer/consultant with Houghtons, Inc. Contact him at BuckD2@michigan.gov.