A Philadelphia demolition contractor faces six counts of third degree murder, six counts of involuntary manslaughter and 13 counts of recklessly endangering another person after he allegedly ignored safety standards up to the eve of the building collapse that killed six people and injured 13 on June 5.
The Salvation Army on Market Street in ruins after a four-story wall collapsed on the building.
Shoppers and employees were buried in debris when a four-story brick wall fell on top of the Salvation Army Thrift Store on 22nd and Market Street. The grand jury investigation puts the contractor, Griffin T. Campbell, at the center of culpability. Experts who testified before the grand jury explained Campbell opted for the most profitable way to dismantle the building instead the safest way.
Campbell removed important structural parts of the building with heavy machinery, when he should have taken the building apart from the outside, according to District Attorney Seth Williams.
“The building should have been taken down hand by hand, piece by piece, brick by brick,” Williams said. ”He therefore chose to maximize his profits by first deciding to remove the joists, which were valuable for his resale.”
