Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 7 december 2019
Pearl Harbor shooting unfolded in 23 seconds in packed area

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLE- who presided over part of
HER and LOLITA C. BALDOR the court-martial for the
Associated Press 2009 shooting at Fort Hood
HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. in Texas.
Navy sailor who fatally shot But if the misconduct were
two people at Pearl Har- something like assault, then
bor before killing himself it would have been easy
was unhappy with his com- to take Romero off watch
manders and had been duty and take away his
undergoing counseling, a weapons, Gross said.
military official said Friday. "All it takes is for the com-
Gabriel Romero, 22, also mander to say, 'You're not
faced non-judicial punish- getting a weapon,' and
ment, which is a lower-level he would be taken off that
administrative process for watch," he said.
minor misconduct, said the It was not known if Romero
official, who spoke on con- knew his victims, Roldan
dition of anonymity to dis- Agustin, 49, and Vincent
cuss personnel matters not Kapoi Jr., 30.
made public. He used his Agustin was born in Lao-
two service weapons in the ag City, Philippines, and
attack, the official said. moved to Hawaii when
Romero also wounded a he was 2, according to his
36-year-old man in the at- mother, Ida Agustin.
tack Wednesday at the Left to right, NCIS Special Agent Norman Dominesey, U.S. Attorney for Hawaii Kenji Price, Honolulu "He's a good man," she
naval shipyard within the Police Chief Susan Ballard and Rear Adm. Robert Chadwick, the commander of Navy Region told The Associated Press
Hawaii, listen during a news conference Friday, December 6, 2019, about the Pearl Harbor Naval
storied military base before Shipyard shooting. through tears.
turning the gun on himself, Associated Press "I'm so sorry, anak ko, I'm still
authorities said. That victim shaking," she added Friday,
is in stable condition at a the Japanese bombing 78 that there's no evidence Columbia, which is at Joint using the phrase "my child"
hospital. years ago that propelled of domestic terrorism. They Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Ilocano, a Filipino lan-
In a second attack at a the U.S. into World War II. said the isolated attack, for maintenance, officials guage.
Navy base this week, a Security will be beefed witnessed by shipyard em- said. Family members said
shooter opened fire in a up as usual for the annual ployees in an area with Retired Army Col. Grego- Roldan Agustin served in
classroom building Friday event that is expected to thousands of workers, un- ry Gross, a former military the Navy and retired from
at Naval Air Station Pen- draw survivors, veterans, folded in about 23 seconds. judge, said that just be- the Army National Guard,
sacola in Florida — leaving dignitaries and others Sat- Romero, who was from Tex- cause Romero faced non- then became a metals in-
four people dead, includ- urday to honor the more as and enlisted in the Navy judicial punishment doesn't spector at the Pearl Harbor
ing the assailant, and mul- than 2,300 Americans killed two years ago, was dead automatically mean he Naval Shipyard.
tiple people wounded. on Dec. 7, 1941. when authorities arrived, should have been taken off In a statement, his brother
The Pearl Harbor shoot- Military officials said Friday and he was armed for his watch duty. said Agustin enjoyed work-
ing came just days before at a news conference that job standing watch and "It could have been some- ing on cars with his friends
a ceremony to remem- they had not found a mo- providing security for the thing as simple as you were and spending time with
ber those who perished in tive yet for the shooting but fast attack submarine USS late for work," said Gross, family. q

No excessive radiation at Detroit River aggregate spill site

By JOHN FLESHER there is no elevated radia- along a seawall, part of company was a subcon- inside crevasses opened
AP Environmental Writer tion risk to health or the en- which collapsed, he said. tractor for the Manhattan by the collapse, the state-
Tests at a Michigan indus- vironment associated with The cause is undetermined, Project, which developed ment said. The inspectors
trial site where limestone the collapse," the state although one possibility is the atomic bomb during also took water samples
construction aggregate agency said in a state- erosion on the swollen river World War II, according to from the river offshore from
recently spilled into the De- ment. — part of the natural chan- U.S. Department of Energy the spill site as well as up-
troit River turned up no in- The company stores and nel linking Lakes Huron and documents. stream and downstream.
dication of excessive radia- provides material for road Erie, which with the other Staffers with the stage envi- They will be analyzed for
tion levels, a state agency construction, according Great Lakes are experienc- ronment department test- industrial contaminants in-
reported Friday. to its website. It did not re- ing the highest water levels ed for radiation in numer- cluding suspended solids,
Staffers with the Depart- spond to phone and email in decades. ous spots near the river and uranium and other metals,
ment of Environment, Great messages from The Associ- The company was still try- elsewhere on the property, and PCBs.
Lakes and Energy inspect- ated Press. ing to measure how much recording more than 1,000 The spill isn't expected to
ed the Detroit Bulk Storage The release happened of the crushed limestone data points. endanger drinking water
property with federal and Nov. 26, although the state flowed into the river but Naturally occurring radia- quality, according to the
local officials, taking radio- agency didn't learn about provided a tentative esti- tion levels in Michigan typi- Great Lakes Water Author-
logical measurements and it until Wednesday, Assen- mate of 8,500 cubic yards, cally range between 5 and ity, which provides water
sampling river water just delft said. The company Assendelft said. 8 microroentgen per hour and sewage services for
offshore in southwest De- wasn't required to report it The site formerly was occu- (Ur/hr). Testing found back- the Detroit metro area.
troit, spokesman Nick As- because the aggregate is pied by the Revere Copper ground levels at 4 Ur/hr at The agency has two intake
sendelft said. A drone pro- not a hazardous material, and Brass Corp., which pro- points farthest from the pipes in the river but both
vided aerial footage. he said. duced uranium materials in river and 3 to 5 Ur/hr closer are several miles from the
"Today's testing confirmed The aggregate was piled the 1940s and 1950s. That to the water — including spill location.q