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House explodes; 3 harmed
Resident, two officers in critical condition
John Hacker
Globe Staff Writer
8/11/04
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Joplin police officers Greg Batson and Tim Nielson arrived at 10:22 a.m. Tuesday at 904 S. McKinley Ave.
At 10:25 a.m., the men were down and calling for help on their radios.
Sometime during those three minutes, the house had exploded.
Joplin police Cmdr. Jim Hounschell said Batson, 36, and Nielson, 26, along with the home's resident, David Riley, 41, remained in critical condition late Tuesday afternoon in the burn unit at St. John's Regional Health Center in Springfield, where they were being treated for third-degree burns.
Fire and police investigators continued work throughout the day at the burned-out, two-bedroom house. Earlier in the day, officers had been called to check the well-being of Riley, who was reported to be suicidal.
The explosion is believed to have been caused when a gas line was pulled loose from a stove and the valve on the line opened, Hounschell said.
The explosion had Steven Smith on his feet and out the door of his home at 905 S. McKinley Ave. in seconds.
Smith, who works as a pizza deliveryman, said he ran across the street toward the burning house and found the two police officers trying to escape from the back of the house, one pinned under a part of the back porch.
"His arm was wedged under the back porch, and I helped get him out," Smith said. "After that, I helped get him to the back alley."
J. Dykman, a paramedic with Metro Emergency Transport System, said all three men suffered what he called "flash burns."
"I just got a quick look at them as they were loading, but I could see they had burns on the uncovered parts of their bodies," Dykman said. "Flash burns affect uncovered parts of a person's body, while those parts that are covered don't burn nearly as bad. When I saw them, they had bandages and burn gel on their hands and faces."
Batson and Nielson were taken to St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin and transported by helicopter to the burn unit at the Springfield hospital. Hounschell said Batson suffered burns on 35 percent of his body, and Nielson was burned on 45 percent of his body.
Hounschell said Riley suffered burns on 80 percent of his body. He was taken to Freeman Hospital West in Joplin before being flown to St. John's in Springfield.
Hounschell said the officers were sent to the home to check the well-being of Riley after the department received a call Tuesday morning from someone who reported Riley as being suicidal.
"The individual had called someone else and told that person he was suicidal," Hounschell said. "That person called police, and officers Batson and Nielson responded. As the officers drove up, they found Mr. Riley in the back yard. When they approached, he ran into the house and the officers followed."
Joplin fire Chief Gary Trulson said firefighters found the home in flames when they arrived. He said firefighters attacked the flames from outside the home and focused on protecting the two homes to the north and south. He said both those homes had superficial damage from heat and debris.
Dawayne Lasiter, an investigator with the Missouri Division of Fire Safety, said the force of the explosion and the persistence of the fire indicated that the air in the home was saturated with gas. He said investigators will have to talk to the injured officers or Riley before they can say what caused the gas to explode.
Officers from law-enforcement departments across Jasper and Newton counties rushed to the scene, along with 24 Joplin firefighters and ambulances with METS and the Newton County Ambulance Service, in response to the injured officers' radio calls for help.
Hounschell said officers from the two sheriffs' departments, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and police departments in Webb City, Duquesne and Carl Junction handled routine calls in other parts of the city and controlled the crowds at the scene while Joplin officers focused on investigating the explosion.
Hounschell said he believes the officers' uniforms and bulletproof vests protected most of their bodies from burns, but that Riley, who was wearing much lighter clothes, suffered more severe burns.
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Mary Wynn caught up with her neighbor David Riley two weeks ago as she headed out to do some
shopping.
“He stopped me and said, ‘Hey, come in for a minute. I want to show you something,’” she said.
Wynn said she followed him into the house, only to discover it was nearly empty.
“He had a couch,” she said.
She said Riley began telling her about his wife. He said she had recently left him, and that he would not make it on his own.
“That’s when he started saying, ‘What’s the use of living? She’s all I had,’” Wynn recalled.
For Wynn, there was little to signal the tragic events that would unfold on her street. It would be a tragedy not only for her neighbor, but for two Joplin police officers who found themselves caught up in the violence that can mark the end of a marriage.
Riley and his wife of 12 years, Sharon, were coming to the end of a contentious relationship this spring and summer. Neighbors reported hearing loud screaming matches on a regular basis — some of which turned violent.
The neighbors across the street said they once physically broke up a fight between the Rileys.
The situation came to a head on June 7, when Sharon Riley moved out. The next day, she filed for an ex parte order of protection against her husband. A week later, David Riley filed for divorce.
David Riley did not take the split well. The police became a regular presence at 904 S. McKinley Ave. as Riley spiraled further into depression.
Joplin police Cmdr. Jim Hounschell said officers responded to suicidal calls at Riley’s home on July 4 and July 21. On each occasion, officers deemed it necessary for Riley to undergo a 96-hour mental evaluation at a local hospital.
But despite the help Riley might have received, Wynn saw an empty house and a man on the brink two weeks ago. She said she urged him to get professional help, but that as recently as Friday night he called her again saying he did not know what to do.
Wynn said she told Riley that she knew his wife. She said she told Riley she did not think it would be appropriate to get between them. She again urged him to seek professional help.
By Tuesday, Riley had reached the edge. He and two Joplin police officers, Tim Nielson and Greg Batson, would be taken to the burn unit at a Springfield hospital after a horrific explosion rocked his house.
On Monday, the Rileys had signed the papers completing their divorce.
Early Tuesday morning, Rick Olds, who lives across the street from Riley at 901 S. McKinley Ave., knocked on Riley’s door. The two worked on the same production line at Able Body Corp. and had been commuting to work together for some time. Olds said this time, Riley would not go to work with him.
“He said, ‘Leave me alone,’” Olds said. “I asked him if he was going to work, and he said, ‘Tell them I’m going to use a vacation day.’”
About five hours later, police say, Riley placed a call to a friend, saying he was going to kill himself.
“It’s too late. No one can help,” Riley reportedly said.
At 10:19 a.m., that friend called police asking them to check on Riley. At 10:22 a.m., officers Nelson and Batson arrived. They found Riley sitting in the back yard.
When he saw the officers, Riley got up and ran into the house. The officers followed. Moments later, the house exploded.
Investigators said a natural-gas valve behind a stove in the kitchen was found open.
Timeline
July 5, 1992: David and Sharon Riley are married in Centerville, Iowa.
June 7, 2004: The couple separate. Sharon Riley moves out of their home at 904 S. McKinley Ave. in Joplin.
June 8: Sharon Riley obtains an ex parte order of protection against her husband; a court hearing is scheduled for June 22.
June 9: David Riley is served with the order of protection.
June 15: David Riley formally files for divorce from his wife.
June 22: Sharon Riley does not show up in court to ask for a restraining order. Judge Stephen P. Carlton dismisses the case.
July 4: David Riley threatens to commit suicide; police respond to his home and order Riley held for 96 hours at a psychiatric unit for observation.
July 21: Police again respond to Riley’s home after he threatens suicide. Riley again is committed to a mental-health center for 96 hours.
Aug. 9: The Rileys sign the papers completing their divorce.
Tuesday, Aug. 10
4:50 a.m.: Co-worker Rick Olds knocks on David Riley’s door to see if he’s ready to go to work. Riley tells Olds to go on without him, and to tell the boss he is taking “a vacation day.”
10:18 a.m.: Riley tells a friend over the phone that he is planning to kill himself. The friend calls police.
10:19 a.m.: Officers Tim Nielson and Greg Batson are dispatched to Riley’s home to check on his condition.
10:22 a.m.: Nelson and Batson arrive at Riley’s home at 904 S. McKinley Ave.
10:25 a.m.: The officers frantically call for help on their radios, reporting a huge explosion.
Sources: Joplin Police Department, Jasper County circuit clerk’s office
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