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8 Jan, 7 tweets, 3 min read
New: Alabama man Lonnie Coffman was arrested in D.C. on Wednesday with 11 Molotov cocktails, constructed of materials amounting to "homemade napalm." montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/cri…
Charging affidavit is IN and there are some wild details here.

Apparently Coffman was not on the scene when his truck was discovered. It was only found bc cop, responding to pipe bomb threat at DNC/RNC, spotted a handgun in the front scene.
montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/cri…
After dealing with the pipe bomb situation (not linked to Coffman at all @ this time), the bomb squad returned to the truck. Plates had been run and identified. They found the Molotov cocktails, which were constructed with mason jars with golf tees)

montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/cri…
The explosives had been concealed in the bed under a fabric cover with an M4 and loaded magazine.

Around 6:30 p.m., a car drives up to the police perimeter. Female driver, male passenger.

montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/cri…
The man tells the the officers at the perimeter that he needs to get back to his truck, which he describes to the officers.

More here:
montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/cri…
In questioning, Coffman allegedly admitted the Mason jars contained gasoline and melted styrofoam, which "causes the flammable liquid to better stick to objects that it hits upon detonation," according to court documents.

montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/cri…
The slightly confusing -- and very concerning -- detail here is that investigators DO NOT think Coffman is tied to the DNC/RNC pipe bombs. But they only found his truck bc of the pipe bomb sweep. montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/cri…

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More from @itsmelissabrown

Melissa Brown Profile picture
2 Oct 20
In 2018, the Montgomery Police Department sent a K-9 dog into a west Montgomery home.

The dog attacked Joseph Pettaway, lacerating his femoral artery. He would bleed to death soon after, alone in a hospital as his family searched for him. (1/x)

montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/202…
Now, his family is fighting the city of Montgomery in federal court. A subpoena uncovered video footage from the incident, taken by the handler's body cam. The city says the footage is confidential.

The family says the video should be public. (2/x)
montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/202…
The video remains under court seal. But a timeline filed by the family alleges the K9 handler allowed the dog to bite Mr. Pettaway for nearly 2 minutes. MPD officers allegedly failed to provide any first aid or attempt to staunch the bleeding. (3/x)
Read 15 tweets
Melissa Brown Profile picture
21 Sep 20
An important investigation from @ailsachang @noahgcr, who reviewed 200+ autopsies of executed individuals and found the majority showed signed of pulmonary edema at death.
npr.org/2020/09/21/793…
"The findings come at a time when death penalty states are already facing scrutiny over drug shortages, untrained execution personnel and a series of high-profile botched executions."
The piece also mentions the use of paralytics in state execution protocols (a paralytic is Alabama's 2nd drug in a 3-drug cocktail) and the medical necessity of that. I wrote a little about that in 2018 montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/loc…
Read 5 tweets
Melissa Brown Profile picture
21 Sep 20
Rev. Robert Graetz, an Alabama minister who helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott, has died montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/pol… via @MGMAdvertiser @lyman_brian
Rev. Graetz attempted, unsuccessfully, to recruit other local white clergy to join in support of the boycott. He was unsuccessful, and Montgomery's white community shunned the Graetz family. In addition to his ministerial work, Graetz drove carpools and raised funds.
"like other participants in the boycott, the reverend and his family persisted in the face of harassment, terrorism, and death threats that extended to their preschool children. Vandals poured sugar in their gas tank; slashed their tires and sprayed acid over their cars."
Read 6 tweets
Melissa Brown Profile picture
27 Aug 20
Despite repeated calls from Alabama clinical experts, @nytimes hasn't amended a data set and accompanying story that lumps UAB Hospital COVID cases in with the general UAB college population, making it appear that UAB has the worse college outbreak in the country.
There's an asterisk/the article cautions against comparing colleges, but the data set presents itself as a ranking list with UAB at the top. Sometimes accuracy can't just be about the raw #s. You have to consider if it's presented in a way that might easily be misinterpreted.
A UAB Hospital doctor or nurse or tech working daily with COVID patients is not the same as a college student.
Read 4 tweets
Melissa Brown Profile picture
26 Aug 20
FYI for those following Alabama college re-openings: Data shared by @nytimes today that suggests UAB has the worst outbreak appears to be really misleading.
There’s a small footnote, but a UA system official tells me the UAB 972 # includes health care workers at the hospital system (the largest/most complex in Alabama) since the beginning of the pandemic.

UAB the college reported 6 cases last week. nytimes.com/interactive/20…
(Of course, not great that any health care worker would contract it, but they are in high risk environments that do not compare to a college campus.)
Read 5 tweets
Melissa Brown Profile picture
23 Aug 20
University of Alabama President says there has been an “unacceptable rise” in COVID cases on campus. The problem is the public has no framework or data to understand what “unacceptable” might mean. Image
Stuart Bell says the “margin for error is shrinking.” Again, no framework to contextualize that, despite repeated requests from faculty, staff, students, parents and journalists.
Full email here, shared to me from a faculty member. Image
Read 8 tweets

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