A homemade bomb exploded near the Colorado Springs chapter of the NAACP yesterday, causing minor damage. The bomb was placed outside a barber shop next door to the group’s office, The Guardian reported.
FBI spokesperson Amy Sanders said that it was too soon to know for sure if the NAACP was the device’s intended target, but investigators are looking for a “balding white man in his 40s who may be driving a dirty pickup truck,” possibly with an open tailgate or missing license plate.
Investigators found a gasoline can that did not ignite near the explosive device, and pieces of duct tape and metal lying about 50 feet away from the blast, according to The Guardian.
Thankfully, no one was injured in the explosion, but residents nearby said they heard a single “boom” but no fire.
Chapter President Henry Allen Jr. told The Colorado Springs Gazette that the explosion was strong enough to knock things off the walls, but was hesitant to call the incident a hate crime until an investigation had been conducted.
“We believe in civil rights for all, and we really won’t work in fear and we won’t be deterred. This won’t deter us from doing the job we want to do in the community,” Allen said.
The national office of the NAACP released a statement, saying the organization is “look[ing] forward to a full and thorough investigation into this matter by federal agents and law enforcement.”
Anyone with any information regarding the explosion can call Denver’s FBI tip line at 303-435-7787.
