Ban Those Terrible Self-Firing Guns!
2017-05-04 02:01:46 UTC
(CNN)Three people were killed and at least nine others injured
Wednesday after an SUV suddenly sped forward and ran down
customers at an auto auction in Billerica, Massachusetts, north
of Boston.
Two people have life-threatening injuries, Middlesex District
Attorney Marian Ryan said. A family member of one of those
killed was not injured but was taken to a local hospital due to
stress, she said.
Ryan said preliminary information suggests it was an accident.
She said the driver was a Lynnway Auto Auction employee in his
70s. He was not hospitalized.
"At this point, there is no evidence or information to suggest
the incident was caused by an intentional or terrorist act. All
evidence and information at this time suggests an accidental
cause," the Massachusetts State Police tweeted.
Several hundred employees and customers had gathered for the
weekly auction that generally draws a crowd, Ryan said. On its
Facebook page, Lynnway Auto Auctions said it consigns more than
2,000 cars for sale at 8:40 a.m. every Wednesday.
"The inside of the building has travel lanes alternating with
safe lanes, where people are able to stand and look at the cars
as they come by," Ryan said, while preparing to make their bids.
Shortly after 10 a.m., the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by
the auction employee entered the building where the auction was
held.
"It suddenly accelerated, traveled through the inside of the
building at a very high rate of speed, striking numerous people
and ultimately was brought to a halt by crashing into a
cinderblock wall at the far end," Ryan said.
Kathleen Stewart was working at a nearby food cart when the
vehicle crashed through the wall. "Everyone ran without
thinking. It took out a wall ...," Stewart said.
"I heard the car when it when he went through the wall. It was
so loud. I was standing about 30 to 50 yards away. I saw two
people that were dead -- one person was getting resuscitation
and it didn't work, and they put a sheet on her body. A lot of
people were injured."
One witness, Jerome Jjroga, told CNN affiliate WFXT-TV in
Boston: "It was a big bang, like an explosion. It was big enough
for everyone to hear and go look what happened. There was smoke
and when I went over I saw people on the ground, one of the guys
was run over, his leg was bent a funny way."
Ryan said local authorities are usually at the auction because
of the number of people it attracts.
"We are fortunate that we had a firefighter on detail there,"
Billerica Fire Chief Thomas Conway said. "He was able to radio
in a quick update and request resources, so we were able to
start resources we wouldn't normally know about needing right
away. He was walking around calling for more resources."
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/03/us/massachusetts-auto-auction-
crash/
Wednesday after an SUV suddenly sped forward and ran down
customers at an auto auction in Billerica, Massachusetts, north
of Boston.
Two people have life-threatening injuries, Middlesex District
Attorney Marian Ryan said. A family member of one of those
killed was not injured but was taken to a local hospital due to
stress, she said.
Ryan said preliminary information suggests it was an accident.
She said the driver was a Lynnway Auto Auction employee in his
70s. He was not hospitalized.
"At this point, there is no evidence or information to suggest
the incident was caused by an intentional or terrorist act. All
evidence and information at this time suggests an accidental
cause," the Massachusetts State Police tweeted.
Several hundred employees and customers had gathered for the
weekly auction that generally draws a crowd, Ryan said. On its
Facebook page, Lynnway Auto Auctions said it consigns more than
2,000 cars for sale at 8:40 a.m. every Wednesday.
"The inside of the building has travel lanes alternating with
safe lanes, where people are able to stand and look at the cars
as they come by," Ryan said, while preparing to make their bids.
Shortly after 10 a.m., the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by
the auction employee entered the building where the auction was
held.
"It suddenly accelerated, traveled through the inside of the
building at a very high rate of speed, striking numerous people
and ultimately was brought to a halt by crashing into a
cinderblock wall at the far end," Ryan said.
Kathleen Stewart was working at a nearby food cart when the
vehicle crashed through the wall. "Everyone ran without
thinking. It took out a wall ...," Stewart said.
"I heard the car when it when he went through the wall. It was
so loud. I was standing about 30 to 50 yards away. I saw two
people that were dead -- one person was getting resuscitation
and it didn't work, and they put a sheet on her body. A lot of
people were injured."
One witness, Jerome Jjroga, told CNN affiliate WFXT-TV in
Boston: "It was a big bang, like an explosion. It was big enough
for everyone to hear and go look what happened. There was smoke
and when I went over I saw people on the ground, one of the guys
was run over, his leg was bent a funny way."
Ryan said local authorities are usually at the auction because
of the number of people it attracts.
"We are fortunate that we had a firefighter on detail there,"
Billerica Fire Chief Thomas Conway said. "He was able to radio
in a quick update and request resources, so we were able to
start resources we wouldn't normally know about needing right
away. He was walking around calling for more resources."
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/03/us/massachusetts-auto-auction-
crash/