Improvised balloon used to deliver bomb in downtown Colorado Springs
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A suspect arrested in connection to an explosion east of Downtown Colorado Springs on Jan. 12 allegedly improvised a hot air balloon to deliver the explosive device, according to arrest documents.
The documents, obtained by FOX21, reveal that the suspect in the case, Edward Kiley, had been arrested and charged in numerous other instances of explosions, one in which an explosion occurred at his home east of Downtown in 2018 and he was injured.
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On the night of the Jan. 12, 2024 explosion, the documents state that a truck matching the description of Kiley’s truck could be seen on security footage obtained by law enforcement entering an alleyway between 548 and 542 East Costilla Street, with some kind of plastic sheeting in the bed of his truck.
After entering the alleyway, what appeared to be a balloon could be seen on the security footage floating away from the alley and becoming lodged on a chain link fence near 548 Costilla Street. The device then exploded, causing damage to buildings as far as 50 feet away.
The arrest documents state that a search of Kiley’s home revealed pipes, plastic, and other materials consistent with the bomb and the improvised balloon. A receipt was also found for the purchase of the materials from a Home Depot near North Academy Boulevard and East Platte Avenue.
Also during the search, various drug paraphernalia was found inside Kiley’s home, as well as a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
Kiley was arrested on Jan. 23 on multiple charges, including Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession or Use of an Explosive or Incendiary Device, and Criminal Mischief. He is due in El Paso County Court on Feb. 8.
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