WEBVTT - Bombs in Atlanta: Vince’s Story

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<v Speaker 1>So I decided to become a cop, something I've always

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to do, and applied with the Atlanta Police Department

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen ninety four, went through the police academy the

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<v Speaker 1>latter part of ninety five into ninety six, and we

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<v Speaker 1>graduated just in time for the Olympics. We were considered

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<v Speaker 1>the Olympic class, so they were trying to rush classes

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<v Speaker 1>through because they wanted to get as many police officers

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<v Speaker 1>on the street during that time as possible.

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<v Speaker 2>Vince Velasquez was a twenty nine year old rookie cop

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<v Speaker 2>during the tumultuous nineteen ninety six Atlanta Olympics. You heard

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<v Speaker 2>part of Historian episode one, but there's a lot more

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<v Speaker 2>to it. Sure he was a rookie cop that summer,

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<v Speaker 2>but just the year before he had also become a dad.

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<v Speaker 2>Vince's personal experience of the bombings was something we felt

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<v Speaker 2>compelled to share with you in full.

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<v Speaker 3>Be quite honest with you.

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<v Speaker 1>I just thought it was the coolest job, and then

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<v Speaker 1>in the later years realized that that, you know, this

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<v Speaker 1>is one not as easy as I thought it would be, two,

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<v Speaker 1>way more dangerous than I ever thought it could or

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<v Speaker 1>would be, and then, most importantly, more impactful than ever

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<v Speaker 1>thought it would be. So I had just got out

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<v Speaker 1>of field training and I fell into this cadence of

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<v Speaker 1>the entire department working in the Olympics, fourteen hour shifts,

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<v Speaker 1>six days a week, one.

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<v Speaker 3>Day off of a week.

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<v Speaker 1>We were providing security along with the FBI and federal

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<v Speaker 1>agencies and state agencies. So it is policing, but it's

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<v Speaker 1>not in a true sense of policing. You're assigned a post,

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<v Speaker 1>you have very strict instructions of what to do with

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<v Speaker 1>that post, Like your job is sit here, stand here,

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<v Speaker 1>don't let cars through unless they have this proper identification,

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<v Speaker 1>be alert, report what you see. I started on a

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<v Speaker 1>fixed post and that was the controlled section. General traffic

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<v Speaker 1>was not allowed on that street. So that was my

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<v Speaker 1>point that particular day in July of nineteen ninety six.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't recall how far we were into the Olympics,

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<v Speaker 1>but it seemed to me a ways because I remember

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<v Speaker 1>being worn out for the long days and I was relieved.

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<v Speaker 1>They're like, you have like four hours. I'm like, okay,

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<v Speaker 1>I could just walk around do what I want. They're like, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>remember I'm a Brookie cop. I don't know shit about shit, right,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm like, yes, sir, I'm out.

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<v Speaker 3>You know.

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<v Speaker 1>So I had purchased a brick for my son. When

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<v Speaker 1>they were pre construction of OLYMPS Nintennia Olympic Park in

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<v Speaker 1>preparation for the Olympics, they had a campaign where you

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<v Speaker 1>can purchase a brick, help fund the park, and you

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<v Speaker 1>can have an inscription on a brick.

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<v Speaker 4>For just thirty five dollars, you can adopt an inscribed

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<v Speaker 4>your brick to be placed in Atlanta's new Centennial Olympic Park.

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<v Speaker 4>Do it for yourself, well for a friend. To adopt

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<v Speaker 4>your Olympic brick, stop by the home depot or call

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<v Speaker 4>one eight six Brick. You know, this could be the

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<v Speaker 4>best thing.

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<v Speaker 1>So I bought one fifty bucks. My son was born

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<v Speaker 1>March first, nineteen ninety five, so I bought a brick

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<v Speaker 1>and I inscribed it with my son's name is Jonathan

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<v Speaker 1>Taylor Velasquez. I call him JT T JT from Dad

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<v Speaker 1>with love his birthday three to one ninety five. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know why I thought, in the middle of the Olympics,

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<v Speaker 1>with this four hour break, with literally thousands of people

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<v Speaker 1>walking around Centennial Park, I was gonna find his brick

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<v Speaker 1>I'm in uniform. I've got a orange traffic vest on

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<v Speaker 1>because that's what we required to wear. They wanted you

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<v Speaker 1>to stand out and want people to know that you

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<v Speaker 1>were police. And here I am. I'm walking down Centennial

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<v Speaker 1>Park thousands of people. It was hot, it's July. I

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<v Speaker 1>remember that, and you know we bulletproof vests under your

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I'm just sweating bullets with a towel on

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<v Speaker 1>my neck. I remember getting near Lucky Street and I

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<v Speaker 1>was going to turn right. There's where the main entrance

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<v Speaker 1>for law enforcement to come through, and it was not

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<v Speaker 1>far from the sound stage. And I recall as I'm

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<v Speaker 1>walking and I start to turn right, I probably took

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<v Speaker 1>four five steps into the park and the bomb went off.

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<v Speaker 1>And the pressure from the bomb knocked me on my ass,

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<v Speaker 1>like literally pushed me backwards. It's like it rattles your brain.

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<v Speaker 1>But I'm the cops. I'm supposed to know what's going on.

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<v Speaker 1>But I felt for a moment helpless, like what happened?

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<v Speaker 3>Like what was that?

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<v Speaker 1>Until I smelled what smelled to me like a million

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<v Speaker 1>matches burning. And if you've ever smelled the matches, the sulfur,

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<v Speaker 1>Now I don't know if that was the ingredient of

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<v Speaker 1>the bomb, but it smelled like that to me, and

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<v Speaker 1>I realized, I'm like, that was not good.

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<v Speaker 3>That was a bomb. Something that's happened.

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<v Speaker 1>But what was interesting The bomb went off and it

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<v Speaker 1>was silence. It seemed like forever, but it couldn't have

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<v Speaker 1>been long. And then I hear screaming and people just

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<v Speaker 1>screaming and running. So I run into the park because

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<v Speaker 1>I'm figuring that's what I have to do. I'm a cop,

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<v Speaker 1>try to figure out what's going on. Georgia State Patrol

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<v Speaker 1>I believe was the heavy police presence from my recollection

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<v Speaker 1>at that checkpoint. I remember seeing a lot of them

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<v Speaker 1>because they wear light blue shirts running around. I saw

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<v Speaker 1>people running into the park, I saw people running out

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<v Speaker 1>of the park, and then when I looked to my left,

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<v Speaker 1>I recall a grassy hill just as I walked into

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<v Speaker 1>the park to the left, and I saw a few

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<v Speaker 1>people laid out on that hill, and I thought, wow, okay,

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<v Speaker 1>those are victims. But then I later found out that

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<v Speaker 1>I think one of them may have been someone who

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<v Speaker 1>had some shrapnel. But what I found out later was

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<v Speaker 1>journalists cameramen who were rushing into the park were trying

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<v Speaker 1>to capture this footage, and Georgia State Patrol was telling

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<v Speaker 1>them to get out. And if my recollection serves me

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<v Speaker 1>from what I was told from a very reliable source,

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<v Speaker 1>that at least to the people on that hill were

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<v Speaker 1>cameramen who got knocked out by George's stay control because

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<v Speaker 1>they wouldn't listen to him. And I do recall seeing

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<v Speaker 1>some camera equipment next to him, and I was like, okay,

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<v Speaker 1>that makes sense. Right away, I understood that there was

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<v Speaker 1>mass casualties. I think over one hundred people got injured

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<v Speaker 1>in that bombing. I wasn't aware right away that someone

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<v Speaker 1>had died. I think I found out an hour or

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<v Speaker 1>so later. And so basically, you know, at this point,

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<v Speaker 1>I can't even get on my radio. A lot of

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<v Speaker 1>us are on the same frequency, and you can only

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<v Speaker 1>imagine the radio traffic was just all over the place.

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<v Speaker 1>So I found it best for me to stay off

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<v Speaker 1>the radio. There's really nothing for me to contribute at

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<v Speaker 1>this point. So I just helped where I could, pushing

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<v Speaker 1>people out towards the ambulances and things. I had the requis,

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<v Speaker 1>the training to at least help people. You know, I

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<v Speaker 1>may not know how to write a hell of a report,

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<v Speaker 1>but I know what to do when people are injured,

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<v Speaker 1>and I found myself just doing that. I mean, when

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<v Speaker 1>I tell you, the chaos was indescribable.

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<v Speaker 3>It was literally.

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<v Speaker 1>I couldn't tell who was who, although I knew my

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<v Speaker 1>gut told me something bad happened, something intentional happened. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a bad person. I don't know who that bad person is.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know why they did it, but it happened.

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<v Speaker 1>So now I'm in defense mode and I'm thinking, well, shit,

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<v Speaker 1>could it be one of these people running out of

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<v Speaker 1>the park. But there's thousands of people running. It made

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<v Speaker 1>no sense for me to try to figure that out.

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<v Speaker 1>So I'm literally going through these and just an analytical person.

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<v Speaker 1>So I'm thinking, you know, not domestic terrorism. I'm thinking,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, this is international terrorism, because what better place

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<v Speaker 1>to do it than the world stage of the Olympics.

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<v Speaker 3>So I didn't know what to expect.

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<v Speaker 1>This is probably a foreign government or a foreign entity

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<v Speaker 1>who are making a statement. Going through these steps in

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<v Speaker 1>my mind and I'm like, Okay, the only thing I

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<v Speaker 1>can do right now is help people who are injured.

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<v Speaker 1>That's it, and let the powers that be try to

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<v Speaker 1>figure this out. So I stayed for about an hour

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<v Speaker 1>and I just went back to my post. But I

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<v Speaker 1>have a newspaper article. I saw it later.

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<v Speaker 3>They took a.

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<v Speaker 1>Photo from inside the park, out towards the entrance, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's me with my back turn. I can see my

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<v Speaker 1>orange vest. I think my hands are on my hips,

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<v Speaker 1>like I'm probably thinking, like, what the fuck is going

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<v Speaker 1>on here? You know, this is crazy? And then you

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<v Speaker 1>know we're just everybody's in lockdown. So back to my posts.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, we weren't sure if the Olympics were going

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<v Speaker 1>to continue, and we soon found out that yes, they

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<v Speaker 1>are going to continue, and we're going to press on

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<v Speaker 1>with a regular schedule. I think I ended up working

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<v Speaker 1>about eighteen nineteen hours that night before I was relieved

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<v Speaker 1>and I had to be right back the next day.

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<v Speaker 2>If you've heard episode one, you know how the rest

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<v Speaker 2>of the story goes. In less than twenty four hours,

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<v Speaker 2>the Olympics would pick back up, racing to the finish

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<v Speaker 2>line without any further issues. Unfortunately, the following January, the

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<v Speaker 2>bomber would also pick things back up, carrying out his

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<v Speaker 2>own demented game.

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<v Speaker 1>So now fast forward. I was living in Sandy Springs,

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<v Speaker 1>my son was born March of ninety five. His mother

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<v Speaker 1>and I were not married at the time, so anytime

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<v Speaker 1>I was not working, i'd go pick him up. He'd

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<v Speaker 1>spend three or four nights with me, and I picked

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<v Speaker 1>them up the night before you know I'm going to

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<v Speaker 1>wake up. I got all day with him before I

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<v Speaker 1>got to go back to work. At this point, my

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<v Speaker 1>son is almost two years old, so that particular morning

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<v Speaker 1>I had woken up early. He's fussy six or seven am.

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<v Speaker 1>I laid back on my bed with him, just to

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<v Speaker 1>calm him down. He finally falls back asleep, and then

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<v Speaker 1>out of nowhere, it felt like the windows in my.

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<v Speaker 3>Bedroom were about to break. Like it was.

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<v Speaker 1>I can't even describe how loud this felt. It just

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<v Speaker 1>like my whole apartment shook. In fact, I had a

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<v Speaker 1>clock on the wall that fell off the wall. And

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<v Speaker 1>then my first thought was down, we had an earthquake.

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<v Speaker 1>We don't have earthquakes in Georgia. I don't think you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know what that was. It wasn't a boom

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<v Speaker 1>I heard. It was just my entire building just shook,

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<v Speaker 1>and my instinct was to jump on top of my son,

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<v Speaker 1>so I literally just flipped over got ontipe my son

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<v Speaker 1>to shield him. I'm thinking the roof is going to

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<v Speaker 1>fall in, and everything just kind of settles down. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, I turned on the news and I couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>believe what I'm seeing. It was like, Okay, there's a

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<v Speaker 1>bombing right down the street at an abortion clinic. And

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<v Speaker 1>I'm like, well, damn, that's right down the street. And

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<v Speaker 1>in fact, that's where my attorney, that's her office right there.

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<v Speaker 1>So I called her.

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<v Speaker 3>I couldn't get her on the phone.

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<v Speaker 2>If you remember Rob Stadler from episode two, Vince is

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<v Speaker 2>talking about Rob's wife's law firm, the same law firm

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<v Speaker 2>where Rob picked up his twin girls, the one housed

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<v Speaker 2>two stories above the abortion clinic in the Sandy Springs

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<v Speaker 2>Professional Building.

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<v Speaker 1>And again I'm watching the news. So later in the afternoon,

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<v Speaker 1>I decided to go to work earlier. I took my

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<v Speaker 1>son to daycare earlier, and then I'm at the precinct

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<v Speaker 1>because I don't know why, I felt I just needed

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<v Speaker 1>to go in earlier, and we're watching the news, and

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<v Speaker 1>I had no idea at the time that a second

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<v Speaker 1>device went off. Now, to be honest with you, I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know if the first or the second device that

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<v Speaker 1>went off is what caused my apartment to shake. I

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<v Speaker 1>obviously missed one of them.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm thinking gas line. I don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>But then we're talking about secondary device. I'm like, all right,

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<v Speaker 1>here we go again. This is not natural. It's not

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<v Speaker 1>gas this is bad. It's not us. It's a bad guy.

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<v Speaker 1>But I'm still not putting those two things together. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a rundown office building and the Olympics. That doesn't make

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<v Speaker 1>sense to me at this time. Remember, we don't know

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<v Speaker 1>who did the Olympic Park bombing. I'm already in the

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<v Speaker 1>mindset that the Olympic Park bombing is a terrorist attack.

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<v Speaker 1>Why would a terrorists want to blow up an office building?

0:12:24.760 --> 0:12:28.240
<v Speaker 1>Makes no sense. Those two lines didn't converge in my mind.

0:12:28.320 --> 0:12:31.880
<v Speaker 1>It's like, Okay, it's unfortunate that this happened. It wasn't

0:12:31.880 --> 0:12:34.880
<v Speaker 1>even an exercise of me trying to disprove why they're

0:12:34.920 --> 0:12:37.880
<v Speaker 1>not connected. The thought never even entered my mind, Like

0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:41.480
<v Speaker 1>I never even had that thought process like these two

0:12:41.520 --> 0:12:45.160
<v Speaker 1>things could be related because they were so different. I

0:12:45.200 --> 0:12:48.440
<v Speaker 1>didn't connect the dots at first with the Olympic bombing

0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:52.160
<v Speaker 1>and the abortion clinic until the other side lounge was bombed.

0:12:55.080 --> 0:12:58.440
<v Speaker 1>So when that bomb happened, I start connecting the office

0:12:58.480 --> 0:13:02.520
<v Speaker 1>bombing with the other side lounge bombing. But then I

0:13:02.559 --> 0:13:06.320
<v Speaker 1>start thinking this is just two coincidental to have three

0:13:06.400 --> 0:13:11.120
<v Speaker 1>bombings in a city, right, They're all intentional.

0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:14.960
<v Speaker 3>Then I'm thinking, well, shit, these have to be related, you.

0:13:14.920 --> 0:13:18.720
<v Speaker 1>Know, cause I'm thinking a gay lounge is bomb unabortion

0:13:18.800 --> 0:13:22.280
<v Speaker 1>clinic is bombed, the Olympics are bombed. These three things

0:13:22.280 --> 0:13:26.040
<v Speaker 1>have to be related. This is beyond coincidental. And then

0:13:26.320 --> 0:13:30.160
<v Speaker 1>the Alabama abortion clinic bombing happens, and as we know,

0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:33.800
<v Speaker 1>a police officer is killed. So we really are paying

0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:36.560
<v Speaker 1>attention to this. Now, who is this guy is he's

0:13:36.600 --> 0:13:40.480
<v Speaker 1>targeting police officers. Obviously he's got a problem with abortion.

0:13:41.280 --> 0:13:44.800
<v Speaker 1>It's two abortion clinics if it is connected with the Olympics.

0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:47.839
<v Speaker 1>Now we have three deaths, and who knows how many

0:13:47.880 --> 0:13:50.800
<v Speaker 1>other people were like permanently injured in the Olympic bombing.

0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:55.720
<v Speaker 1>So I started really looking at you know, I'm talking

0:13:56.400 --> 0:13:56.760
<v Speaker 1>this is.

0:13:56.760 --> 0:13:59.560
<v Speaker 3>Like AOL days, right, like dial up.

0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:03.360
<v Speaker 1>Internet, and I'm just like reading and at the same time,

0:14:03.400 --> 0:14:07.840
<v Speaker 1>I'm like Richard Jewel, like this makes no fucking sense, right,

0:14:08.760 --> 0:14:13.080
<v Speaker 1>So I'm amateur sleuthing this whole thing, right, and not

0:14:13.160 --> 0:14:16.840
<v Speaker 1>that I have great investigative skills in nineteen ninety seven,

0:14:17.280 --> 0:14:21.040
<v Speaker 1>but this doesn't make sense to me. On one hand,

0:14:21.080 --> 0:14:25.880
<v Speaker 1>I'm like, this is all connected. It's not Richard Jewel, right,

0:14:26.000 --> 0:14:29.920
<v Speaker 1>Alabama three in Atlanta. This guy's got a problem with abortion,

0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:33.080
<v Speaker 1>this guy's got a problem with gay people. And whoever

0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:36.120
<v Speaker 1>knows what his statement was for the Olympics. But this

0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:39.920
<v Speaker 1>is political. This is someone who has some ideological problem

0:14:40.600 --> 0:14:42.920
<v Speaker 1>with certain groups of people and he's trying to make

0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:46.000
<v Speaker 1>a statement and people are dying, and it's not Richard Jewel.

0:14:47.000 --> 0:14:49.720
<v Speaker 1>And remember I'm talking to you now from someone who's

0:14:49.720 --> 0:14:52.920
<v Speaker 1>spent twenty two years as a cop, seventeen years in homicide.

0:14:53.120 --> 0:14:54.680
<v Speaker 3>It's easier for me to digest this.

0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:58.120
<v Speaker 1>And my perception now is they made a ton of

0:14:58.160 --> 0:15:01.920
<v Speaker 1>mistakes looking back at it, you know, hindsight being twenty twenty,

0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:06.080
<v Speaker 1>the FBI, the ATF, and APDE, it seemed to be

0:15:06.280 --> 0:15:10.920
<v Speaker 1>a strained relationship federal agencies. The ATF taking control because

0:15:10.960 --> 0:15:14.120
<v Speaker 1>it isn't bombing, the FBI having a terrorism aspect of

0:15:14.160 --> 0:15:17.800
<v Speaker 1>this thing if it indeed is not domestic, and then

0:15:17.800 --> 0:15:19.640
<v Speaker 1>APD it's in our city. So at the end of

0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:21.400
<v Speaker 1>the day, this is a homicide. This goes on the

0:15:21.400 --> 0:15:23.760
<v Speaker 1>books in the city of Atlanta as a homicide. Two

0:15:23.800 --> 0:15:27.800
<v Speaker 1>homicides to be exact Alice Hawthorne and the journalists, which

0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:30.360
<v Speaker 1>means a homicide detective gets a sign that case.

0:15:30.520 --> 0:15:32.160
<v Speaker 3>I didn't know all that then I know that now.

0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:35.240
<v Speaker 3>So while a.

0:15:35.280 --> 0:15:39.040
<v Speaker 1>Detective is working that case, he or she has to

0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:42.120
<v Speaker 1>work with whatever federal agency is now taking charge of

0:15:42.120 --> 0:15:45.400
<v Speaker 1>this because of the nature of how it happened, it

0:15:45.480 --> 0:15:48.720
<v Speaker 1>was all fucked up. Nobody knew what the other agency

0:15:48.800 --> 0:15:51.000
<v Speaker 1>was doing, and that's always problematic.

0:16:00.200 --> 0:16:01.720
<v Speaker 3>The Richard Jewel stories is sad.

0:16:02.040 --> 0:16:06.920
<v Speaker 1>It's it's a sad testimony to not you know, this

0:16:06.960 --> 0:16:08.440
<v Speaker 1>is a guy that really tried to do the right thing.

0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:12.360
<v Speaker 1>But it's a testimony like some shitty police work. That's

0:16:12.360 --> 0:16:15.240
<v Speaker 1>some bullshit what they put this guy through. And I

0:16:15.280 --> 0:16:19.720
<v Speaker 1>can tell you as a detective, it's easy when you

0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:21.840
<v Speaker 1>have a piece of information that comes your way, it

0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:26.000
<v Speaker 1>lands in your lap and it helps you right. The

0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:29.840
<v Speaker 1>problem is when you have another piece of information that

0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:34.800
<v Speaker 1>contradicts that, it completely throws you off. It doesn't fit

0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:38.000
<v Speaker 1>with what's going on in the way you want things

0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:40.040
<v Speaker 1>to go because this guy has to be it because

0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:43.240
<v Speaker 1>everything's lining up. And the truth of the matter is,

0:16:43.440 --> 0:16:46.160
<v Speaker 1>it doesn't matter. The truth is the truth. It's like

0:16:46.200 --> 0:16:48.040
<v Speaker 1>a compass, no matter how you turn it, it's always

0:16:48.080 --> 0:16:48.760
<v Speaker 1>going to point north.

0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:50.600
<v Speaker 3>That's the truth, period.

0:16:50.800 --> 0:16:53.000
<v Speaker 1>And when I look back at this case, to me,

0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:57.640
<v Speaker 1>it seems like they had laser vision on Richard Jewel.

0:16:57.880 --> 0:16:59.800
<v Speaker 1>And the sad part is when you have laser vision,

0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:05.359
<v Speaker 1>something you miss so much else that it's probably evidence

0:17:05.400 --> 0:17:08.800
<v Speaker 1>that you need to be collecting or looking at, because

0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:11.560
<v Speaker 1>that's what tunnel vision is. You can't see past these blinders.

0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:15.080
<v Speaker 1>Not criticizing the FBI, I don't really know. I wasn't

0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:18.000
<v Speaker 1>in the know. I don't know the particulars, but it

0:17:18.200 --> 0:17:22.119
<v Speaker 1>just we know he wasn't the guy, but he was

0:17:22.160 --> 0:17:24.399
<v Speaker 1>the guy for a while. If you look back at

0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:28.040
<v Speaker 1>these news clippings, you look at history, you know, in

0:17:28.080 --> 0:17:32.240
<v Speaker 1>a civil jury decided y'all made him the guy because

0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:34.560
<v Speaker 1>they awarded him a shitload of money for that. I mean,

0:17:34.600 --> 0:17:37.040
<v Speaker 1>they ruined this guy's reputation. He'd a point.

0:17:37.040 --> 0:17:38.600
<v Speaker 3>Guy died. I think he died of a heart attack.

0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:43.240
<v Speaker 2>The intersectional moments in our lives when things are scary

0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:47.280
<v Speaker 2>or difficult, or unjust or overwhelming. They mark us in

0:17:47.359 --> 0:17:53.920
<v Speaker 2>ways that surface unexpectedly. Sometimes it's a slow burn, other

0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:58.840
<v Speaker 2>times we become prisoners to the trauma. Vince's story represents

0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:02.880
<v Speaker 2>the struggle well. So I asked him, out of all

0:18:02.880 --> 0:18:07.040
<v Speaker 2>your memories surrounding these bombings, what sticks with you the most.

0:18:07.600 --> 0:18:09.159
<v Speaker 1>The moment I had to jump on top of my

0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:12.919
<v Speaker 1>son instinctfully, like just knowing that I have to just

0:18:13.000 --> 0:18:15.639
<v Speaker 1>cover him. I don't know what's coming next, you know,

0:18:15.800 --> 0:18:18.880
<v Speaker 1>put me to the point of thinking that I literally

0:18:19.000 --> 0:18:21.880
<v Speaker 1>was close to this guy that killed people, Like here

0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:23.679
<v Speaker 1>we are again. You know you almost got me in

0:18:23.720 --> 0:18:27.240
<v Speaker 1>ninety six, and now you almost got me and my son.

0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:29.119
<v Speaker 1>I mean, if I could feel my windows shaken and

0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:33.440
<v Speaker 1>I'm thinking the roof is coming down that moment, I mean.

0:18:33.359 --> 0:18:36.760
<v Speaker 3>It was it was fight or flight, right, So I

0:18:36.760 --> 0:18:37.720
<v Speaker 3>couldn't go anywhere.

0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:40.719
<v Speaker 1>I had to discover my son and hold hope that

0:18:40.800 --> 0:18:43.760
<v Speaker 1>nothing happened. So that was a wake up call for me,

0:18:43.920 --> 0:18:47.000
<v Speaker 1>like this shit is real, Like this guy's really trying

0:18:47.000 --> 0:18:49.399
<v Speaker 1>to hurt people, you know. I mean, thankfully I was

0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:51.560
<v Speaker 1>far enough away from it that we weren't injured, but

0:18:52.200 --> 0:18:54.640
<v Speaker 1>it did put into perspective like I could have been.

0:18:55.520 --> 0:18:58.119
<v Speaker 1>I could have had an appointment that morning with Christine,

0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:00.800
<v Speaker 1>Like Christine could have been an off. I could have

0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:02.679
<v Speaker 1>been like, I'm on my way to daycare, let me

0:19:02.680 --> 0:19:05.159
<v Speaker 1>just pop in with my son, and we could have

0:19:05.200 --> 0:19:10.080
<v Speaker 1>been sitting in her office right where that ceiling caved in,

0:19:10.400 --> 0:19:12.120
<v Speaker 1>and I wouldn't be talking to you right now.

0:19:14.320 --> 0:19:16.800
<v Speaker 2>You're a natural storyteller, so all these questions I had

0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:18.640
<v Speaker 2>laid out, you were hitting on your own.

0:19:18.720 --> 0:19:22.000
<v Speaker 3>Oh cool, Thank you, love cool, glad I could help man.

0:19:24.240 --> 0:19:28.600
<v Speaker 2>Flashpoint releases new episodes every Thursday, but for early access

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