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Justice will not be served until those who are
unaffected are as outraged as those who are.
—Benjamin Franklin
The Siege on Summer
Street (Salem, Oregon 22 January 2019)
4. Tear Gas, Smoke, and Flash-bang Grenades
— and the Fires They Cause
Because the details of the fire are at the heart of the criminal charge of arson, let's
have a closer look at those details.
4. Tear Gas Grenades Can Cause Fires
This is the fourth of a seven-part story.
While flash-bang grenades are known to be incendiary, tear gas grenades are often regarded as
benign. But that is not true. The National Institutes of Health/National Center for
Biotechnology Information (NCBI) tells us about the differences between (1) tear gas dispensed by
sprays and (2) tear gas dispensed by grenades ("canisters").
Source: Tear
gas: an epidemiological and mechanistic reassessment (cached)
NCBI informs us that grenades are powered by a pyrotechnic (chemical fire)
mixture. "Sprays use a liquid formulation that is released from a pressurized dispenser,
while grenades and canisters use a powdered form blended with a pyrotechnic mixture that
can be aerosolized for dispersion as a smoke or fog."
And tear gas grenades ("canisters") have caused fires in homes and buildings:
- A report in the Kitsap Sun (Washington State) on June 28, 2002 cites the
Kitsap Fire Marshal’s report that a tear gas canister started a deadly fire in an
April SWAT team standoff.
Source: FIRE
MARSHAL'S REPORT: Tear gas canister started deadly fire
(cached)
- A report in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel of May 30, 2001, reveals that
tear gas canisters fired at a burglary suspect touched off a fire that gutted a
pharmacy. The article quotes a training specialist with the Police Training
Institute at the University of Illinois: "A number of buildings have been burned
to the ground," he said of tear gas. "There's always that potential."
Source: Tear
Gas Started Pharmacy Fire, Report Says
(cached)
- Firehouse Forums published "Fires from CS Gas Canisters" on April 25,
2005: CS tear gas canisters were fired into a house and caused a fire.
Source: Fires
from CS Gas Canisters (cached)
So, either aware, unaware, or simply unmindful of the fire potential, the Salem SWAT
Team bombarded the house and its surrounds with tear gas canisters and flash-bangs to
force Ketchem out. Then, as we shall see, all tear gas and flash-bang ordinance
debris was removed by the Salem police before the Salem Fire Marshal’s office was
brought in to inspect the scene and determine what caused the fires. GOSH!
What could the police have been thinking?
Lots of Tear Gas
The record shows the police used an astonishing quantity of teargas during the
incident:
- The owners of 1050 Summer St. NE told the neighborhood blog that the
police threw as many as 15 grenades of tear gas into the house.
Source: Nextdoor Neighbors
Chat, 3 Aug 2019, Slade-Graves.
(cached)
- The Salem Police Department Property Report states that six 40 MM
CS Gas canister cartridge casings were removed from the backyard (Pgs. 5 and 6 of
15). Another two rounds were found under the deck in the rear of the house
(Pg. 7 of 15). Three spent smoke canisters and 13 spent gas round bases were
collected from within and around ground floor and upper floor by Det. Abel (Pg. 8 of
15).
Source: Salem Police Department Property Report Pg. 5, 6, 7, 8 of 15; Bates 00413,
00414, 00415, 00416.
- Ofc. Kirksey stated: "At about 1319 hours, other officers were deploying CS gas on the east side of
the residence …"
Source: Incident Supplement, Ofc. Court Kirksey, Pg. 2 of 4, Bates 00186.
- In his report, Ofc. Menges stated: "… Lt. Adams (S301) gave direction to introduce CS gas
… I used the 40 MM launcher to deploy 5 canisters of 4330 launchable CS barricade projectiles
into the upper level through a window. I then deployed 4 more canisters of the same projectile
into a basement window, all on the north side of the residence."
Source: Incident Supplement, Ofc. Lewis Menges, Pg, 2 of 3, Bates 00104.
Flash-Bangs-And-Fires
An "FSDD" (Flash Sound Diversionary Device), also called a "flash-bang," is a grenade with a
specific purpose. According to Wikipedia, a flash-bang is:
... an ostensibly non-lethal explosive device, used to temporarily disorient an enemy's
senses. It is designed to produce a blinding flash of light of around 7 million candela
(cd) and an intensely loud "bang" of greater than 170 decibels (dB). It was first used by
the British Army's Special Air Service in the late 1970s.
The flash momentarily activates all photoreceptor cells in the eye, blinding it for
approximately five seconds. Afterward, the victim perceives an afterimage that impairs
their aim. The sheer volume of the detonation also causes temporary deafness in the
victim and also disturbs the fluid in the ear, causing a loss of balance. Despite the
nonlethal intentions behind the grenade, the resulting concussive blast still has the ability
to cause injuries, and the heat created has been known to ignite flammable materials.
The fires that occurred during
the Iranian Embassy siege in
London were caused by stun grenades coming into contact with flammable
objects. — Wikipedia,
"Stun grenade" [Emphasis added] (cached)
On April 4, 2019, Lt. Shawn Adams told the Grant Neighborhood Association (in
concurrence with many of the police reports) flash-bangs were detonated only on the
grounds outside the house.
Source: Address to the Grant Neighborhood Association, 4 April 2019 by Lt. Shawn Adams.
If that were true, it would be a mysterious tactic. The flash is designed to
disrupt human sight by overstimulating the retina. But if the fugitive is
protected from the explosion by a wall, the flash would have minimal effect. The
only people able to see the flash would be the police and the neighbors, and that would
be counter-productive to the purpose of the SWAT team.
Similarly, the bang is designed to disrupt the functions of the human ear, both balance
and hearing. But if the fugitive is separated from the explosion by the insulated
exterior wall of a house, the bang would have minimal effect on the fugitive. It
might impress the neighbors and disorient the police surrounding the house, but it would
be counter-productive to the purpose of the SWAT team.
Therefore, we should be skeptical of police statements about the deployment of the
flash-bangs. Such a tactic would fail to serve the purpose of the device. Moreover,
news photos taken that evening provide strong evidence that flash-bangs may have been detonated
inside the house. The photos show a drape hanging limp and ragged through a broken window as
though blown through the window from an explosion inside.
Source: See photos A, B, and C, all from KOIN news. See also left sidebar of
this webpage, "Exterior of Property."
Additional Records of
Flash-bang Deployment
Det. Libby interviewed neighbors [B] and [R], who said a SWAT team arrived and the Salem
Fire Department sometime after.
"[B] and [R] said the first ‘action’ they saw was
flash grenades being deployed … At approximately 1000 hours, by [B] and [R]’s
estimation, they saw smoke begin to billow from the chimney of the residence."
Source: Incident Supplement, Det. Charles Libby, Pg. 5 of 9, Bates 00170
Ofc. Singleton reported: "I heard, via radio, that a flash-bang was
authorized for use. Immediately after the flash-bang went off, I again began to
give announcements to Kenneth and instructed him to exit the house."
Source: Incident Supplement, Ofc. Bobby Singleton, Pg 3 of 6, Bates 00173.
From Incident Summary and Resolution: "At approximately 0957 hours, I
deployed a FSDD [Flash Sound Diversionary Device] on the exterior of the house at the
1/4 corner … At approximately 0957 hours, Ofc. Hughes spotted what appeared to
be flames from a fire through the front door window on the 1 side. … At
approximately 1010 hours, Cpl. Waite indicated there was now visible flames inside the
residence on the 4 side … At approximately 1010, it appeared the fire had
extinguished itself … At approximately 1141 hours the fire appeared to have
re-ignited and we could again see flames."
Source: Incident Summary and Resolution, Pg. 3, Bates 02301.
Flash-bang and Fire Coincidence
Note, above, that at 9:57 a flash-bang was deployed, and that 9:57 flames appeared at
the same spot.
Source: Incident Summary and Resolution, Pg. 3, Bates 02301.
Sgt. Riddle also reported: "… I deployed a FSDD (Flash Sound
Diversionary Device) commonly referred to as a flash-bang on the outside of the house
along the 4 side … Sometime after the FSDD deployment officers near me said
they say what appeared to be flames visible through the front door window. A
team on the 4 side also confirmed the flames through a window on the 4 side."
Source: Incident Supplement, Sgt. Matthew Riddle, Pg 1 of 3, Bates 00094.
So there it is: a flash-bang deployed on the 4 side, followed by flames on the 4
side. Just maybe the flash-bang deployed to the "outside" of the house did not
land on the "outside" but the inside? Would the police ever fudge their reports
to protect the city from their costly mistakes, and themselves from personal
embarrassment?
Water Caused Fire To Regenerate
One of the officers reported that the fire on the first floor of the house repeatedly
regenerated after water was sprayed into the house.
"The previous fire was somehow reignited in the level one room near the one/four
corner. The flames grew quickly and soon burning debris could be seen falling
into the basement window near the one/four corner. I informed the Command Post
of the fire and a plan was made to introduce water with a fire hose …"
"Medic Harvey was able to introduce water into the four side level one
and basement windows. The fire would diminish but would quickly reignite each
time Medic Harvey would spray water inside. The house quickly filled with
thick black smoke which could be seen billowing from several windows around the
house. I felt it was unlikely Kenneth could survive inside the structure with
the heavy smoke …"
Source: Incident Supplement, Cpl. Adam Waite, Pg. 6 of 8, Bates 00145
To Cpl. Waite, that was obviously unusual behavior for a fire. But the behavior of a fire
depends upon the fuel. Water is good for extinguishing wood and paper fires (Class A),
but no good at all for some other kinds. When hot enough, some metals burn resulting in
Class D fires. And for those fires, water is not only useless but actually dangerous.
Flash-bang grenades contain the flammable metals aluminum and magnesium, incendiary chemicals,
and perhaps other things depending on the brand. When doused with water, a Class D metal
fire might behave exactly as Cpl. Waite described.
Source:
As told in that article, even hot aluminum shavings (a component of flash-bangs) can be a
deadly incendiary when sprayed with water.
Another report of the fire dying and re-igniting is found in the Incident Summary and
Resolution.
"At approximately 1010, it appeared the fire had extinguished itself
… At approximately 1141 hours the fire appeared to have re-ignited and we could
again see flames."
Source: Incident Summary and Resolution, Pg. 3, Bates 02301.
Witnesses Report: First Floor Fire Burned Through to Basement
The following Salem Police witnesses stated that fire started on the first floor and
then burned into the basement:
- Sgt. Hughes.
"During this time I saw and
broadcast via radio multiple times that a fire had been started inside the
residence on the first level.
"The fire eventually raged inside a room at the SW corner, and I could see
it was burning through the floor as evidenced by flames and falling debris I
could see through a basement window under the burning room and basement."
Source: Incident Supplement, Ofc. Cole Hughes, Pg. 1 of 3, Bates 00106.
- Cpl. Waite:
"The previous fire was somehow reignited in the level one from near the one/four
corner. The flames grew quickly and soon burning debris could be seen falling into the
basement window near the one/four corner. I informed the Command Post of the fire and
a plan was made to introduce water with a fire hose. Initial attempts to combat the
fire from the one side were unsuccessful. …
"Medic Harvey was able to introduce water into the four side level one and basement
windows. The fire would diminish but would quickly reignite each time Medic Harvey
would spray water inside. The house quickly filled with thick black smoke which
could be seen billowing from several windows around the house. I felt it was
unlikely Kenneth could survive inside the structure with the heavy smoke."
Source: Incident Supplement, Cpl. Adam Waite, Pg. 3 of 8, Bates 00142.
- Incident Summary and Resolution
"01/22/2019 1225: (S388)
FIRE APPEARS TO HAVE BURNED THROUGH FLOOR FROM LEVEL 1 TO BASEMENT. CAN SEE IT IN BASEMENT
FALLING FROM ABOVE."
Source: [Document without title] Bates 02308.
- Salem Police Department Response Report
01/22/2019
13:33:50 NO FIRE IN THE BASEMENT
Source: Salem Police Department Response Report, Pg. 5 of 30, Bates 00034.
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