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(NEW YORK) — Two people died and at least 19 others were injured following a chemical leak at a West Virginia refinery plant that was scheduled to be shut down Wednesday morning, officials said.

Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango told reporters that workers were cleaning and decontaminating the Catalyst Refiners plant in Nitro, West Virginia, which is in the process of shutting down, when the incident took place around 9:30 a.m.

Kanawha County Emergency Manager CW Sigman said that as the workers were decommissioning a tank, nitric acid and M2000A were mixed, creating hydrogen sulfide.

“We could smell it downwind,” Sigman told reporters at a news conference.

A total of 21 people were taken to the hospital, two of whom died, according to Salango. Frank Barber, the president of Ames Goldsmith Corp, which owns the plant, said in a statement that the unidentified deceased victims were employees of the company.

One victim was listed in critical condition as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Salango. Barber said that the victim was also an employee of Ames Goldsmith.

Seven of the hospitalized victims were EMS crews who rushed to respond to the scene, Sigman said.

“They put themselves in harm’s way to try and save a life,” he said.

The plant was used to refine silver, according to Salango.

Sigman said that some of the employees immediately put on respirators and helped to get the people inside the plant out of harm’s way.

Sigman said the investigation is ongoing and will involve state and federal agencies as they try to get more answers as to how the incident took place.

He said that according to the plant manager, it was not uncommon for decontamination crews to mix the nitric acid and M2000A.

“But there was something going on that was different. That will [be] for the investigators to determine,” Sigman said of the decommission procedures.

A shelter-in-place was ordered for the surrounding area as investigators determine the extent of the leak.

Sigman said that fire officials have visited and toured the plant “in the last few months,” and met with plant managers about emergency response.

Barber said Ames Goldsmith is working with investigators in their probe.

“This is an unfathomably difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with our colleagues and their families,” he said.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said he was monitoring the situation.

“We are working around the clock with local officials to ensure this incident is contained and that all necessary state resources are on the ground to protect the community,” he said in a statement.

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(NEW YORK) — A Texas man could serve jail time after pleading guilty to shooting a bald eagle at his home in 2024, which is a violation of federal law.

Santos Guerrero, 42, has pleaded guilty to shooting and causing the death of a protected species. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.  

While bald eagles are no longer an endangered species, they are still protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which prohibits the killing of eagles, according to prosecutors. 

Investigators responded to a report of the incident and reviewed video footage of the eagle being shot and falling from a tree, according to prosecutors. 

Investigators then matched the tree seen in the video to a tree in Guerrero’s residence. The eagle was found alive and transported to an animal hospital, but had to be euthanized due to its injuries, according to prosecutors. 

The bullet caused significant damage to the eagle’s wing and the impact from the fall caused liver fractures, internal bleeding and fractured a leg, a necropsy determined. 

Guerrero faces up to a year in federal prison and a fine of up to $100,000. 

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(FLORIDA) — The 16-year-old boy accused of killing his stepsister on a cruise is allowed to stay out of jail with certain restrictions, a federal judge in Florida ruled.

In February, after the teen was charged as a juvenile, the 16-year-old was permitted to live with his uncle instead of being held in custody. But in April, when the case was moved to adult court, prosecutors said the teen should be detained.

“We do not know what triggered him,” prosecutors argued in court Wednesday. “Who will be the next object he will become fixated on?”

The teen’s lawyers have countered that he’s a child who has been cooperative with the investigation and has shown no indication of hurting anyone in the months since his stepsister’s killing. 

The suspect arrived at court Wednesday with his father and his uncle and was seen wearing an ankle monitor. The judge ruled he’s only allowed to leave his house with his uncle and will be electronically monitored by authorities.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres said Wednesday that U.S. Marshals should examine options for potential detainment in the Tampa area.

Prosecutors allege the teenager “sexually assaulted and intentionally killed” his 18-year-old stepsister, Anna Kepner, during the family’s November vacation on a Carnival cruise. Anna Kepner died from mechanical asphyxiation, officials said. 

The stepbrother has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. He is set to go on trial in September.

Prosecutors are alleging more details about the night Kepner died from Wednesday’s hearing as well as a newly unsealed transcript from a February detention hearing.

Closed-circuit television on the cruise captured many of the movements of Kepner and her stepbrother, as well as the movements of their 13-year-old sibling who was sharing their room, prosecutors said in the Feb. 6 transcript.

The night Kepner died, the suspect was seen entering their shared cabin around 7:35 p.m., the transcript said. At about 7:38 p.m., Kepner was seen entering the cabin — the last time cameras would capture her alive, prosecutors said. 

At approximately 7:51 p.m., the 13-year-old sibling entered the cabin and quickly exited, prosecutors said.

The suspect was not seen leaving the cabin again until 10:13 p.m., when he is “looking left and right down the hallway, appearing to check if there is anyone in the hallway,” prosecutors said. He’s seen between 10:23 p.m. and 10:49 p.m. “entering and exiting the cabin approximately two more times,” prosecutors said, and he put a privacy sign on the door at 10:53 p.m.

The video showed the 13-year-old and the suspect coming and going a few more times, prosecutors said. At 12:09 a.m., when the 13-year-old tried to get into the room, the suspect prevented him, and made the 13-year-old wait outside for a few minutes, prosecutors said.

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