Paramedic at Texas Blast Arrested, Had 'Destructive Device'

Police haven't said if arrest is connected to the blast
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted May 10, 2013 1:07 PM CDT
Paramedic at Texas Blast Arrested, Had 'Destructive Device'
In this May 2, 2013, file photo investigators move and look through the debris of the destroyed fertilizer plant in West, Texas.   (AP Photo/LM Otero, Pool)

Federal investigators have launched a criminal probe into the horrific West, Texas, fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people and injured 200 others, just hours after they arrested one of the first responders who was on the scene of that tragedy—though those two facts haven't been connected. Paramedic Bryce Reed, 31, was arrested for having a "destructive device," the Dallas Morning News reports. Authorities haven't said if the arrest was actually related to the West explosion, however, and didn't mention Reed when announcing the criminal probe.

Reuters characterizes Reed's device as an explosive, but its source also said that it was unclear if the arrest was connected to the blast. Reed's home was among those destroyed in the West blast, and at the time he said his best friend, firefighter Cyrus Reed (no relation), was killed. Reed even spoke at the victims' memorial, CNN recalls. (More West, Texas stories.)

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