Details of suicide attack on CAS

October 27, 2004 permalink

The following article from the Windsor Star gives more on the suicide attack on the Children's Aid Society building in Windsor.

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CAS rocked by man on suicide mission
Group home operator angry about cuts: Teen.
$1.5 million in damage

Kelly Patrick and Craig Pearson, Windsor Star, October 27, 2004

A suicidal ex-Children's Aid Society worker who slammed his fiery pickup truck into the agency's headquarters Tuesday wanted to hurt the agency for "dicking around" with money and staff levels at the group residence he used to run, says a teen at the home.

"The story isn't what he did, it's what CAS does every day," said the 14-year-old male, who can't be named because he's a CAS ward. "They dick everyone, every way they can, to save money. Well, they wound up losing $1.5 million -- not to mention me almost losing a friend."

The teen and other sources said the truck's driver was 49-year-old Jim Malone, an ex-contract employee who in September left his job running a CAS group home at 1641 Lincoln Rd.

Around 7:30 am Tuesday, Malone lit a pair of 20-pound propane tanks inside the cab of his blue Ford pickup and sped toward the north facade of the sparkling Riverside Drive East building, said police.

AEROSOL CANS IN TRUCK'S BED

Malone also filled the truck's bed with aerosol spray cans and two five-gallon gas cans. The ensuing blaze caused more than $1.5 million damage.

"Oh, this was intentional," said Windsor Police Staff Sgt Gerry Corriveau after surveying the wreckage. "He was trying to blow up the building".

Nobody was hurt other than Malone, who suffered second-degree burns to 20 per cent of his body and is listed in stable condition at Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital. Malone also stabbed himself at some point during the ordeal, police said. "He's got what appears to be a self-inflicted stab wound to the side," said Staff Sgt Stefan Kowal, the head of the Windsor police arson unit.

Kowal and fire investigator Shawn Boutette said Malone exited the truck after it struck the building. Malone fell to the ground and rolled across the lawn to a flower bed at the building's northeast corner where rescue workers found him. His prosthetic leg was found in the cab of the truck.

Staff Sgt Ed McNorton said police haven't decided what, if any, criminal charges will be laid against Malone.

Corriveau said only six of the CAS's 325 employees were inside when the pickup crashed through the building's blue glass walls. None was hurt. Corriveau and local CAS executive director Bill Bevan said it appeared Malone hadn't intended to kill or injure any of his former colleagues.

The building's doors open at 9 am and most employees don't arrive until 8:30 am, said Bevan, who refused to identify the driver. "This person knew that (the building would be empty)".

"This person was a well-respected employee," added Bevan.

He said he did not know what prompted the attack. "We don't have any early guesses around that. Let's hope the individual survives, and they can tell their story and we can find out why they would ever think to do this".

The Lincoln Road group home Malone previously ran is the only one of its kind in Windsor, said Bevan. Malone ran the residence from the time the CAS began leasing it three years ago and it houses a fluctuating number of teens. The 14-year-old resident, who has lived at the home for "seven or eight months" said three children live there now.

As he smoked a cigarette across the street Tuesday night, the teen described Malone as a "father figure" and "one of the nicest guys I've known". He said Malone was angry about recent CAS cuts to the group home. "When he first signed the contract there was so much money and a set number of (staff) hours, but they kept lowering it and lowering it," the teen said.

Bevan confirmed the CAS had recently revamped the program's funding to a per-child formula. When asked if those changes resulted in the home receiving less cash overall, Bevan said: "I would say that there's some truth to that. He could have received less money depending on how it worked, but he also could have done quite well with what the program provided".

The teen said Malone talked about taking his complaints to the media, but felt no one would listen. However, he said Malone gave no hint of plans to slam a truck into the CAS building. "I knew he wanted to hurt the CAS and get the idea out that they dick people around, but something like this? No".

Bevan said Malone didn't lodge a single complaint before or after his resignation. He also cautioned that the 14-year-old is a teen who "needs a lot of guidance and has had a lot of trouble in his lifetime".

As for CAS headquarters, Boutette said employees could be back in by early next week.

"Most of the damage was caused by the sprinkler system discharging, so we have a lot of interior damage: carpets, desks, people's property, files, computers," Boutette said.

The first floor sustained smoke and water damage, while the upper floors were damaged mostly by smoke. A prominent streak of black stained the exterior wall of blue glass on Riverside Drive, while several windows were busted out.

"The flames were roaring up the front of the building," said Bob Wilson, a maintenance worker who was inside when the crash occurred. "We had a wall of flame. There were flames four storeys high. And there's lots of water damage inside. Computers were soaking wet".

Ontario social services minister Sandra Pupatello, a Windsor MPP, said ministry counsellors were dispatched Tuesday morning to help CAS employees cope.

"It was quite a traumatic event," said Pupatello.

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TEMPORARY OFFICES

Intake services for the CAS will be temporarily located on the first floor of the Cleary Centre. Some CAS workers will be headquartered in Club Alouette. The public can still call the main CAS switchboard at 252-1171.