Latest news with #AndyMills
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
1 person killed in explosion outside Palm Springs fertility clinic; police say act was ‘intentional'
An explosion at a fertility clinic in the upscale California city of Palm Springs appears to have been intentional, local authorities said. One person was found dead, and the FBI said it was sending investigators, including bomb technicians, to the scene. Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said in a statement Saturday that the blast 'appears to be an intentional act of violence' and that several buildings damaged, some severely. KTLA's Chris Wolfe reports on May 17, 2025. Details:
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
One person killed in explosion outside fertility clinic; police say act was ‘intentional'
An explosion that heavily damaged a fertility clinic in the upscale California city of Palm Springs appears to have been intentional, local authorities said. One person was found dead, and the FBI said it was sending investigators, including bomb technicians, to the scene. Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said in a statement Saturday that the blast 'appears to be an intentional act of violence' and that several buildings damaged, some severely. 'There has been one fatality, the person's identity is not known,' Mills' statement said. The act was being investigated as a possible car explosion, said two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss preliminary information from an ongoing investigation. One of the officials told AP that investigators believe the person who died is likely the person who set off the explosion, but cautioned the investigation is still in its early stages. Authorities have not disclosed a motive. FBI's Los Angeles field office said in a social media post on X that 'assets being deployed include investigators, bomb technicians & an evidence response team.' Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also assisting. Man dies after five-vehicle crash on I-75 The city of Palm Springs said Saturday that the explosion happened at 11 a.m. local time and that residents were being asked to avoid the area around North Indian Canyon Drive near East Tachevah Drive. Dr. Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic, confirmed that his clinic was damaged. He told The Associated Press in a phone interview that all of his staff were safe and accounted for. The explosion damaged the practice's office space, where it conducts consultations with patients, but left the IVF lab and all of the stored embryos there unharmed. 'I really have no clue what happened,' Abdallah said. 'Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.' Aerial footage showed a burned-out car in a parking lot behind the building that housed the fertility clinic's office space. The blast caved in the building's roof and blew a wide debris field across a sidewalk and four lanes of the street on the other side of the structure. Rhino Williams, 47, was chatting with customers at a restaurant he helps manage inside the Skylark Hotel just over a block away from the scene when he heard a huge boom. Everything rattled, he said, and Williams — who has a background in aviation — immediately sprinted to the scene to see if anyone was in need of help, thinking a helicopter might have crashed. Williams saw a large dark gray plume of smoke and covered his nose with his shirt as he smelled burning plastic and rubber. He said he saw a building had 'blown out' into the street, with bricks and debris scattered everywhere, and spotted a car's front axle on fire in the building's parking lot. He said it was the only car in the lot that he saw. He ran into the building, calling out and peering behind the counter to see if anyone was inside. He did not hear a response and did not see anyone behind the counter. 10-year-old found hours away with man she met on Roblox: court docs Williams said he ran around to check on other nearby buildings. Multiple windows of the neighboring liquor store were also blown out, he said. Once he saw authorities arrive, he headed back to the hotel. Nima Tabrizi, 37, of Santa Monica, said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion. 'The building just shook, and we go outside and there's massive cloud smoke,' Tabrizi said. 'Crazy explosion. It felt like a bomb went off. … We went up to the scene, and we saw human remains.' Palm Springs is about a two-hour drive east of Los Angeles. Its known for upscale resorts, golf courses and a history of celebrity residents. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
RTÉ News
18-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Bomb explosion at California fertility clinic kills one
A bomb blast outside a fertility clinic in the United States has killed one person, in what the US attorney general called an "unforgivable" attack. The blast, in Palm Springs in the US state of California, badly damaging the facility and broke windows and doors of other nearby buildings. "The blast appears to be an intentional act of violence and the blast extends for blocks with several buildings damaged, some severely," Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said. "There has been one fatality, the person's identity is not known," he added. The Palm Springs city government said the explosion happened before 11am PDT (7pm Irish time). Palm Springs Mayor Ron deHarte told AFP investigators had "confirmed a bomb exploded in or near a vehicle". Aerial footage of the scene showed the clinic's roof had collapsed. The charred remnants of a vehicle lay in a parking lot, some distance from the apparent epicenter of the explosion. Debris was blown through the building and scattered across the road, while the roofs of a number of nearby buildings were damaged, indicating the intense force of the blast. The local ABC affiliate, which cited an unnamed law enforcement source, reported five people were also injured in the explosion. A statement posted on social media by the clinic said no staff had been hurt and that its lab - "including all eggs, embryos, and reproductive materials - remains fully secure and undamaged". It said that "a vehicle exploded in the parking lot near our building". The FBI in Los Angeles said in a social media post that it is investigating the explosion, with bomb technicians deployed to the scene. Reproductive care, including abortion and fertility services, remains controversial in the United States, where some conservatives believe the procedures should be outlawed for religious reasons. Violence against clinics providing such services is rare, but not unheard of. US President Donald Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal agents were working to determine exactly what had happened. I have been briefed on the explosion at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California that took place today. Federal agents are on the ground now responding alongside local law enforcement. We are working to learn more, but let me be clear: the Trump administration understands… — Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) May 17, 2025 In a statement on social media, Ms Bondi said: "But let me be clear: the Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America. "Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable." People living near the facility reported feeling the shaking from the blast. Matt Spencer, who lives in a nearby apartment complex, told the Palm Springs Post he ran outside as soon as he heard the explosion and was confronted with the sight of the burnt car. "I could see the back of the car still on fire and the rims, that was the only thing that distinguished it as a car," he said. California Governor Gavin Newsom was briefed on the explosion, his office said. US Attorney Bill Essayli said his office was aware of the blast. "FBI is on scene and will be investigating whether this was an intentional act," he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
1 person killed in explosion outside fertility clinic; Police say act was ‘intentional'
An explosion that heavily damaged a fertility clinic Saturday in the upscale California city of Palm Springs was apparently intentional, local authorities said. One person was found dead, and the FBI said it was sending investigators, including bomb technicians, to the scene. Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said in a statement that the blast 'appears to be an intentional act of violence' and that several buildings were damaged, some severely. 'There has been one fatality, the person's identity is not known,' Mills said. The act was being investigated as a possible car explosion, according to two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss preliminary information from an ongoing investigation. One of the officials told AP that investigators believe the person who died was likely the person who set off the explosion, but they cautioned that the investigation was still in its early stages. Authorities have not disclosed a motive. Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal agents were working to learn more about the explosion, adding, 'Let me be clear: the Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America. Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable.' The FBI's Los Angeles field office said via the social platform X that 'assets being deployed include investigators, bomb technicians & an evidence response team.' Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also assisting. The city of Palm Springs said the explosion happened at 11 a.m. local time and residents were asked to avoid the area around North Indian Canyon Drive near East Tachevah Drive. Dr. Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic, confirmed that his facility was damaged. He told AP in a phone interview that all staffers were safe and accounted for. The explosion damaged the practice's office space, where it conducts consultations with patients, but the IVF lab and the stored embryos were spared. 'I really have no clue what happened,' Abdallah said. 'Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.' Aerial video showed a burned-out car in a parking lot behind the building that housed the fertility clinic's office space. The blast caved in the roof and blew a wide debris field across a sidewalk and four lanes of the street on the other side of the structure. Rhino Williams, 47, said he was chatting with customers at a restaurant he helps manage inside the Skylark Hotel just over a block away when he heard a huge boom. Everything rattled, Williams said, and he sprinted to the scene to see if anyone was in need of help. Williams saw a large dark gray plume of smoke and covered his nose with his shirt as he smelled burning plastic and rubber. He said he saw a building had 'blown out' into the street, with bricks and debris scattered everywhere, and he spotted a car's front axle on fire in the parking lot. He said it was the only car in the lot that he saw. He ran into the building, calling out and peering behind the counter to see if anyone was inside. He did not hear a response and did not see anyone behind the counter. Williams then ran around to check on other buildings. Multiple windows of the neighboring liquor store were also blown out, he said. Once he saw authorities arrive, he headed back to the hotel. Nima Tabrizi, 37, of Santa Monica, said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion. 'The building just shook, and we go outside and there's massive cloud smoke,' Tabrizi said. 'Crazy explosion. It felt like a bomb went off. ... We went up to the scene, and we saw human remains.' Palm Springs is about a two-hour drive east of Los Angeles. Its known for upscale resorts, golf courses and a history of celebrity residents.
DW
18-05-2025
- Health
- DW
Blast near California reproductive health clinic kills one – DW – 05/17/2025
A bomb exploded near a reproductive health facility in Palm Springs, California. One person died in the explosion. An explosion damaged a reproductive health facility in Palm Springs in the US state of California on Saturday. Police and firefigherts responded to an explosion. The blast resulted in the death of one person. Citing law enforcement sources and the facility, ABC News reported that at least five people were injured in the explosion. "The blast appears to be an intentional act of violence and the blast extends for blocks with several buildings damaged, some severely," Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said. "There has been one fatality, the person's identity is not known." What caused the explosion in Palm Springs? The city's mayor said that the explosion was caused by a bomb. "It has been identified as a bomb that was either in or near the car," Mayor Ron DeHarte said. The Palm Springs city government said in a Facebook post that the explosion occurred before 11 a.m. PDT (6 p.m. GMT). The Los Angeles office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a social media post that it was investigating the explosion and had deployed bomb technicians to the scene. What did the clinic say? Dr. Maher Abdallah, the director of the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic, confirmed that his clinic was damaged. In a phone interview with The Associated Press, he said that all of his staff were safe and accounted for. "I really have no clue what happened," Abdallah said. "Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients." The explosion damaged the office space where consultations with patients are conducted, but left the IVF lab and all of the stored embryos unharmed, Abdallah said. Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
