A massive explosion that destroyed a duplex in Arlington, Virginia, last December was intentionally caused by the homeowner who died in the incident, fire officials said Friday.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation worked with the Arlington County Police and the Arlington County Fire Department to investigate the explosion.
In their report, investigators detailed the incident, starting when the first officers arrived on the scene, according to Fox 5DC. Body camera footage was also released, showing new angles of the explosion and showing the homeowner and suspect, 56-year-old James Yu, firing a flare from a window in his home.
Officials said the explosion began in the basement of the home and involved gasoline and a “suitable ignition source.” “It has been determined that the ammunition used by police in this incident is not a suitable ignition source,” they said.
A Virginia home explodes after a barricaded suspect fires a flare gun and a firearm while police attempt to search the area.
A massive explosion that destroyed a duplex in Arlington, Virginia, last December was intentionally caused by the homeowner who died in the incident, fire officials said Friday. (Credit: Alex Wilson)
Items found at the scene included a gasoline can, two shotguns, two signal flares, a shotgun magazine, shotgun bullets, and fired and unfired signal flares.
Authorities said Yoo’s cause of death was determined to be “burns and blunt force trauma.”
Neighbors said Yoo had been behaving erratically in the months leading up to the incident, ordering large quantities of bleach and charcoal before the explosion and covering his windows with black garbage bags. On the morning of the incident, Yoo had dumped trash, including empty bleach bottles, in his yard.
Later that day, Yu began firing flares from the rear window of his two-story home. Police investigated the scene and attempted to contact Yu but were unsuccessful.
Who is James Yu, the suspect in the Arlington House bombing in Virginia?
Authorities said the explosion began in the basement of the home and involved gasoline and “an ample source of ignition.” (Credit: Alex Wilson)
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Police obtained a search warrant and forced their way through the front door of his home in an armored vehicle, and when officers arrived at his door, Yu fired multiple shots from inside the home, authorities said.
Authorities said they had shut off gas supply to the home and evacuated nearby residents about an hour and a half before the explosion.
