Chemical attack was hate crime against NW side couple, official says
By Shelley Shelton and Stephen Ceasar
Arizona Daily Star
Chemicals left near a home on the northwest side that created a noxious cloud were part of a hate crime attack, a sheriff’s official said Sunday evening.
The attack was racially motivated against a man and woman who live in the Casas del Oro Norte community in the 2800 block of West Magee Road, near North Shannon Road, said Deputy Dawn Barkman, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.
Several dead animals — birds, a rabbit and a cat — were found near the front door of the home, Barkman said. She said she didn’t know if the animals were killed by someone or died from exposure to the gas cloud.
The home’s front door and garage door had also been sealed shut from the outside with a spray foam sealer, she said. An incendiary device was also found near the garage door, she said.
The investigation will be handled by the sheriff’s department and the FBI, Barkman said.
The situation started about 4:50 a.m. Sunday when homeowners reported they smelled an unusual odor. Deputies found several inches of an unspecified chemical liquid in a yard nearby. They also found what appears to be chlorine tablets covered in liquid in the yard.
The homes directly beside the home that was the primary target were evacuated, said Barkman.
Other residents living in the area were asked to avoid going outside, she said.
The general area affected was mainly around Shannon and Magee roads.
A bomb squad was called to inspect for explosive devices, Barkman said, and a hazardous materials crew from Northwest Fire/Rescue District remained on the scene gathering evidence.
Though the hazardous materials crew was still working to identify the liquid, it was likely an oil-based substance, said Katy Heiden, spokeswoman for Northwest Fire.
Foam packing peanuts were also found at the scene, she said.
“(The material) was not found there naturally and was not the result of an accident,” Heiden said.
The chemicals had formed a large gas cloud that deputies said could be seen moving in a southwesterly direction, Barkman said. The Sheriff’s Department issued a warning to residents in the area at 6 a.m.
The cloud had dissipated by about mid-day Sunday. The cloud reached all the way to the Santa Cruz River, Barkman said.
People were asked to stay indoors, turn off their coolers and shut their windows, Heiden said.
The chemicals produced a “flammable vapor” that made a white cloud, which floated toward the southwest, mostly south toward Interstate 10, she said.
Northwest Fire treated one person who complained of not feeling well after breathing the cloud, “which was understandable,” Heiden said.
It was not clear whether the person lived in the home where the chemicals were found.
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