Law enforcement officials Monday confirmed what many residents at the site of a deadly blast on the southside Nov. 10 suspected: foul play. Officials made clear that they think the home explosion that killed two people and damaged 86 houses in the Richmond Hill subdivision was not an accident. At this time were here to inform you that were turning this into a criminal homicide investigation, Gary Coons, chief of the Indianapolis Department of Public Safetys Homeland Security division, said a news conference. But Coons and other officials declined to say why investigators from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Indianapolis Fire Department came to that conclusion.
Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said that the continuing investigation includes witness interviews and search warrants and that authorities are seeking information about a white van seen in the area. Officials also announced two rewards are being offered one for $1,000 from Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana and another for $10,000 from ATF for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the blast. If anyone has information about a white van seen in the Richmond Hills subdivision the afternoon of Nov. 10 ... we ask that such information be communicated, to authorities, Curry said.
Richmond Hill residents were told about the developments during a meeting at Southport Presbyterian Church to update them on rebuilding. Some of those who attended said they were saddened but not surprised. Most people figured that something like this had to be more than an accident, said Doug Alridge, who runs a crime watch program in the area. Especially with the large police presence thats been there all week. For about three weeks, Alridge said, he had seen a white van in the neighborhood and in front of the house that is considered the epicenter of the blast.
He said it was a windowless work van, about 15 years old. It was out there about every other day, said Alridge, who did regular patrols of the neighborhood. But you dont just see a van and automatically say, Thats suspicious. Chris Sutton, 29, an electrical engineer who lives in the neighborhood, said it was kind of scary that the explosion might have been criminal. But people were beginning to think that way anyway, he said. At the same time, he said, it gives us peace of mind. We wish it didnt come to this but it is beginning to answer some questions, he said.
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