Two workers killed, one seriously hurt in ‘possible explosion’ at Delta Air Lines’ Atlanta maintenance facility
(ATLANTA) — Two workers were killed and one was seriously injured in what officials termed a “possible explosion” at Delta Air Lines’ Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to Delta TechOps and first responders.
Delta TechOps said the Tuesday morning accident took place at its wheel and brake shop.
Responders to the “possible explosion” found “three Delta employees on the floor,” and the medics said they tried to control “major bleeding,” according to the Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department’s incident report.
An employee reported hearing an explosion and seeing workers fleeing, the incident report said.
“I realized they were running to get help. I walked toward where the explosion occurred and saw a body lying face down, not moving, with blood all around,” the worker told officials, according to the incident report.
Delta said the accident involved a tire and components within the tire. The wheel was not attached to an airplane or near an airplane at the time of the accident, according to Delta.
The incident had no impact on airport operations, according to airport officials.
Delta said it’s “working with local authorities and conducting a full investigation to determine what happened.”
The airline added it’s “heartbroken” and “grateful for the quick action of first responders and medical teams on site.”
The workers killed in the incident were identified as Mirko Marweg, 58, and Luis Aldarondo, 37, according to the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office,
“We are extending our full support to their families at this difficult time and conducting an investigation to determine what happened,” John Laughter, executive vice president, chief of operations and president of Delta TechOps, said in a statement. “This news is heartbreaking for all of us. [Employee assistance program] resources will be onsite at the [Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility] to support our teams as long as needed.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said, “I offer my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased Delta employees. My thoughts are also with those who were injured, and I hope for their swift and full recovery.”
Atlanta airport officials also offered their condolences.
(KETCHIKAN, Alaska.) — A 42-year-old husband and father has been identified as the man killed in a landslide in Ketchikan, Alaska, on Sunday, officials said.
Sean Griffin, a Ketchikan native and member of the city’s public works team for 17 years, was killed when he responded to help during his scheduled time off, according to the Ketchikan Gateway Borough.
“Sean and another team member were clearing stormwater drains when they were caught in the landslide,” Ketchikan officials said in a statement.
“Sean was a beloved husband, father, son, neighbor, and coworker,” Ketchikan officials said. “He spent his life serving his family and his community. … He started as a solid waste collector, moved up to solid waste facility operator, then to streets maintenance technician, and finally promoted to senior maintenance technician. “
“Sean is remembered for his dedication, positive spirit, and unwavering devotion to his family, his friends, and to the community,” the statement said.
Mandatory evacuations were put in place after the landslide swept through streets on Sunday afternoon, according to Kacie Paxton, a public information officer for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough.
Three people were injured and hospitalized following the landslide, according to Paxton. One of those people was later released, she said.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued an Alaska Disaster Emergency Declaration. A separate Joint Disaster Emergency Declaration was issued by borough Mayor Rodney Dial and city of Ketchikan Mayor Dave Kiffer.
“In my 65 years in Ketchikan, I have never seen a slide of this magnitude,” Kiffer said in a statement. “With the slides we have seen across the region, there is clearly a region-wide issue that we need to try to understand with the support of our state geologist.”
“The loss of life that we have encountered is heartbreaking, and my heart goes out to those who lost their homes,” he added.
Photos released by the borough appeared to show a pile of trees and loose soil up against several hillside homes, at least one of which appeared to have been pushed into another home. Other photos appeared to show roads covered with debris, including trees.
“Our prayers are with the families, the injured, those recovering, and the community,” Sen. Dan Sullivan said on social media, later adding, “My team and I stand ready to help facilitate any federal assistance that may be necessary.”
This landslide comes as Ketchikan saw about 3 inches of rain this month — about half its average rainfall for August.
Ketchikan received over 2.5 inches of rainfall over this weekend, and higher elevations in the Ketchikan Range reported 5 to 9 inches of rain. Too much rain at once after a drier period can cause a landslide.
The rain continued on Monday but is forecast to dry off through Tuesday. More rain is expected Wednesday and Thursday as a new frontal system moves in.
Landslides are common in southeast Alaska. Six people were killed, including an 11-year-old girl, in a major landslide in Wrangell, about 100 miles north of Ketchikan, last November.
ABC News’ Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
(STERLING, Va.) — Twenty-six patients were transported to area hospitals late Wednesday evening for ammonia exposure after a leak occurred at a commercial building in Sterling, Virginia.
At approximately 8:36 p.m., Loudoun County Fire Rescue responded to the 22400 block of Sous Vide Lane in Sterling for reports of a gas leak. Officials later confirmed the leak was ammonia.
A representative for Cuisine Soultions Inc. told ABC News that employees were immediately relocated outside of the plant and that the leak was contained.
Four of the 26 patients were experiencing significant symptoms, according to officials.
(NEW YORK) — The former Illinois sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Sonya Massey in her home after she called 911 to report a prowler was the subject of a complaint alleging inappropriate conduct following a 2022 arrest, according to Sean Grayson’s disciplinary paperwork obtained by ABC News.
A woman arrested by Grayson stated that he asked her to remove drugs from her vaginal area in front of him and another officer when he was employed with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, according to police records. Grayson worked at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office full time from May 2022 until he resigned in April 2023. He was hired in May 2023 by the Sangamon Sheriff’s Office, where he remained until he was fired following the Massey killing.
“I went to do as he had instructed me to do feeling very afraid and forced to do such action,” the detainee stated in her complaint against Grayson. “The C.O., Aaron (Female C.O.) stopped me and informed officer Grayson that I was not to do that in front of them because they are male officers.”
According to the report, the female officer then took the woman away from the male officers, so the detainee could attempt to extract the narcotics, but she was not able to retrieve them. The detainee was then transported to a hospital to have the drugs removed.
The woman then claimed that when she was on a hospital bed “completely exposed” during the procedure, Grayson flung the curtain back, causing her to be visible to him and, what she believed were two other male officers, before the doctor immediately shut the curtain and told the officers not to enter again.
“I knocked on the door and walked into the room,” Grayson claimed in a police report, explaining that he entered to deliver a plastic evidence bag for the extracted narcotics. “As I entered the room I observed [name extracted by ABC News for the former detainee’s privacy] laying on the bed fully clothed in a gown and with a blanket on her.”
Grayson stated in the report that when police originally told the woman to remove the drugs, he handed her a plastic glove and asked her to extract the narcotics. A “female jailor” then took the woman “into the jail” to attempt to remove the narcotics, according to the former deputy.
“In conclusion of this I was never in physical contact with [name extracted by ABC News],” Grayson stated. “I was never alone with [name extracted by ABC News]. I did not talk to [name extracted by ABC News] alone at any point.”
Grayson resigned in “good standing” from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office to join Sangamon County law enforcement before the complaint could be officially investigated, according to a police record.
The former deputy has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in custody.
A review by Illinois State Police found Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force. He was fired from his position with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office on July 17, the same day the charges were filed against him.
Grayson’s job with Sangamon County was one of six different police jobs he held over the past four years.
Miller, Grayson’s boss at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, expressed concerns over Grayson violating department policy and submitting inaccurate reports while discussing his mishandling of a traffic case, according to audio files previously obtained by ABC News.
Prior to his time in public law enforcement, Grayson was discharged from the U.S. Army for unspecified “misconduct (serious offense),” according to documents obtained by ABC News. The U.S. Army, citing the Privacy Act and Department of Defense policy, said it is prevented from releasing information relating to the misconduct of low-level employees or characterization of service at discharge.
ABC News also learned that Grayson was charged with two DUI offenses in Macoupin County, Illinois, in August 2015 and July 2016, according to court documents. He pleaded guilty to both charges. He paid over $1,320 in fines and had his vehicle impounded as a result of the 2015 incident. In 2016, Grayson paid over $2,400 in fines, according to court records.
Grayson and a second, unnamed deputy responded to Massey’s 911 call on July 6 reporting a possible intruder at her Springfield home.
Body camera footage shows Massey, who was unarmed, telling the two responding deputies, “Please, don’t hurt me,” once she answered their knocks on her door.
Grayson responded, “I don’t want to hurt you, you called us.”
Later in the video, while inside Massey’s home as she searches for her ID, Grayson points to a pot of boiling water on her stove and says, “We don’t need a fire while we’re in here.”
Massey then pours the water into the sink and tells the deputy, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson then shouts at Massey and threatens to shoot her, the video shows, and Massey apologizes and ducks down behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. She briefly rises, at which time Grayson shoots her three times in the face, the footage shows.
Grayson said he feared for his life during his encounter with Massey, according to documents released by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office last week.
“While on scene, I was in fear Dep. (redacted) and I were going to receive great bodily harm or death. Due to being in fear of our safety and life, I fired my duty weapon,” Grayson wrote in his field case report.
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, who hired Grayson, will be retiring later this month, he announced Friday in a statement.
“As elected leaders, we must always put the overall good of the community above ourselves; and I will not risk the community that I swore to protect. For this reason, I am announcing my retirement as Sheriff of Sangamon County, effective no later than August 31st,” Campbell said in the statement.