Police suspect arson in fire at Wyoming abortion clinic site

Police believe an in a single day fire in Wyoming that damaged a building being renovated to accommodate a new abortion clinic was intentionally set

By

MEAD GRUVER Related Press

Might 25, 2022, 3:57 PM ET

• 2 min read

CASPER, Wyo. -- An abortion clinic set to open subsequent month in conservative Wyoming was broken in a hearth early Wednesday that police believe was deliberately set — presumably by somebody seen running away from the constructing carrying what appeared to be a gas can and a bag.

The blaze damaged the within of the constructing beneath renovation to house the clinic in Casper, the second-biggest city in a state where opposition to abortion is widespread.

The clinic, which also deliberate to offer other health care providers for ladies, had been set to open in June as solely the second place in the state to supply abortions. Wyoming’s current lone location for women to get abortions is at a hospital in Jackson, 281 miles (452 kilometers) away.

A person who known as authorities earlier than dawn saw somebody running from the building with what seemed to be a gasoline can and a black bag, police stated in a Facebook publish. Investigators have been reviewing video footage from the world in hopes of identifying the suspect or generating a suspect description, police mentioned. No injuries were reported.

Julie Burkhart, the clinic’s director, mentioned clinic organizers had been receiving harassing emails and phone messages. The constructing had video cameras that had been functioning, and police got entry to them, she mentioned.

“Whether you’re against abortion or support abortion rights, you’re not going to make abortion go away,” said Burkhart, a former affiliate of Dr. George Tiller, an abortion supplier who was shot and killed in a Wichita, Kansas, church in 2009.

Protests have been held this spring by abortion opponents on the future clinic website, and indicators opposing abortion had been visible Wednesday in a window of an condominium subsequent door to the constructing.

Wyoming is one among 13 U.S. states with a so-called trigger legislation that would instantly outlaw abortion if the Roe v. Wade determination that legalized it nationwide is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. A leaked draft of a ruling suggests that will happen soon.

Police quickly closed off the road where the small constructing is situated as officers investigated. A number of of the building's windows were broken, and smoke harm was visible round one shattered window.