- The bomb was found in donations at the Janesville store that had been there for a week
- Businesses were evacuated for nearly three hours as a bomb squad arrived
Staff at a Goodwill store in Wisconsin were evacuated Friday when a military-grade “cluster bomb” was found among donations that had been there for a week.
The streets around the Janesville store were closed for nearly three hours as a Madison police bomber was called in to remove the device.
When they arrived, they discovered that the donor had also packed some live ammunition in his package, along with the internationally banned cluster bomb.
X-rays showed that the bomb contained several living cells filled with apparent explosives and bits of metal.
The streets around the Janesville store were closed for nearly three hours as a Madison police bomb squad was called in to remove the device.
“Employees quickly followed safety protocols by informing the retail and donation center’s management and safety teams, who then evacuated the building as a precaution for shoppers, donors and employees,” Goodwill Industries of Southeast Wisconsin said in a statement.
Staff discovered the deadly explosive while sorting donations on Friday morning.
Sergeant Benji Thompson of the Janesville Police Department said it is not unknown for people to accidentally donate antique explosives, ammunition or even hand grenades.
But cluster bombs have been banned by 125 countries since 2010, when their use, transfer, production and stockpiling were banned under the United Nations Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Cluster bombs are defined as ‘conventional munitions designed to disperse or release explosive submunitions, each weighing less than 20 kilograms. When deployed, cluster bombs split into a series of ‘bombs’, each carrying a deadly explosive payload.
They can remain active for decades and are responsible for thousands of deaths and injuries around the world every year, especially among children who may mistake them for toys.
The streets around the Janesville store were closed for nearly three hours as a Madison police bomb squad was called in to remove the device.
Sergeant Thompson said police believe the donor knew they were delivering a bomb to Goodwill, but are remaining open about the motive.
The hunt will be hampered because the store takes donations day and night and “everyone usually leaves the items in black garbage bags,” he said. WCLO.
A separate police source told Ny Breaking.com that there is little security footage and the company suspects the bomb actually arrived on a crate from its Chicago depot.
The company, which has more than 4,000 points of sale nationwide, is certainly no stranger to unusual donations.
Last month, an Arizona store called police after discovering a human skull complete with teeth in a donation box.
Officials from the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner determined that the skull was likely of “historical origin” and not criminally suspect.
“The Janesville Police Department and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad responded to the incident and provided further guidance for the safety of the community,” Goodwill added in his statement.
“The store and donation center will resume shopping and donation activities shortly after 1:30 p.m..”