Police suspect arson in hearth at Wyoming abortion clinic site

Police believe an overnight fireplace in Wyoming that damaged a building being renovated to house a brand 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 next month in conservative Wyoming was damaged in a hearth early Wednesday that police imagine was intentionally set — probably by somebody seen running away from the constructing carrying what seemed to be a gasoline can and a bag.

The blaze broken the within of the building beneath renovation to accommodate the clinic in Casper, the second-biggest metropolis in a state the place opposition to abortion is widespread.

The clinic, which also deliberate to offer other well being care companies for ladies, had been set to open in June as only 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.

An individual who known as authorities earlier than dawn noticed someone working from the constructing with what seemed to be a gas can and a black bag, police said in a Facebook publish. Investigators had been reviewing video footage from the world in hopes of figuring out the suspect or generating a suspect description, police said. No injuries have been reported.

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

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

Protests have been held this spring by abortion opponents at the future clinic site, and indicators opposing abortion have been seen Wednesday in a window of an condo next door to the constructing.

Wyoming is one among 13 U.S. states with a so-called set off regulation that will instantly outlaw abortion if the Roe v. Wade resolution that legalized it nationwide is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court docket. A leaked draft of a ruling suggests that can happen soon.

Police briefly closed off the road where the small constructing is located as officers investigated. A number of of the constructing's home windows had been damaged, and smoke harm was seen round one shattered window.