Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis arrives during a hearing on the Georgia election interference case, Friday, March, 1, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Alex Slitz, Pool)
A substantial section of a courthouse in downtown Atlanta was evacuated on Friday in response to a suspicious parcel delivered to the office of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
The parcel, variously described in news reports as a package or a letter, contained an unidentified white substance and led to several people being treated for headaches and dizziness at the scene of the incident, according to the Atlanta Fire & Rescue Department.
The district attorney’s office was briefly under lockdown while a hazardous materials investigation unfolded. Dozens of emergency vehicles arrived as the investigation unfolded.
Ultimately, four people who exhibited symptoms were taken to nearby Grady Memorial Hospital for evaluation and the entire third floor of the courthouse was locked down while the investigation played out. By late Friday afternoon, however, other courthouse and district attorney’s office employees were able to return to work as the substance was found to be safe.
“A package was delivered to the office of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis today,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement obtained by Atlanta-based ABC affiliate WSB-TV. “When opened, an unknown substance was found inside. Four employees have been treated on the scene for symptoms. The District Attorney and her staff greatly appreciate the quick and effective response by Atlanta and Fulton County agencies to the scene to protect our colleagues and the public.”
An employee at the district attorney’s office first noticed the parcel and opened it around 2 p.m. — and alerted the fire department.
Firefighters on the scene made quick work of the call. Roughly 30 minutes after arriving, investigators determined the white powder was some kind of salt or starch and therefore not harmful, Atlanta Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Ronald Slatton told The Associated Press.
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“Due to the fact that they were initially giving some signs and symptoms of some type of exposure, we went ahead with a full hazmat response,” Slatton said in comments to WSB-TV.
The fire chief said he did not know who, exactly, the parcel was addressed to — only that it was delivered to the district attorney’s office, according to the AP. Asked about a motive, he also demurred.
“That’s for the law enforcement,” Slatton told the wire service.
Law enforcement, for their part, do not appear too concerned.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Atlanta Police Department referred comment back to the Fire Department. And, when the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office — the agency which oversees courthouse security — was asked about the incident, a spokesperson said they were not investigating.
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A twice elected Democrat, Willis became a figure in national politics when her office famously leveled a 41-count indictment against Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants during the Joe Biden administration in August 2023. To date, however, the prosecution has largely stalled out over ethics issues within Willis’ office — including her former romantic relationship with one of the outside prosecutors brought on to help with the case.
