Deadly Explosion Rocks Painter Community Early Thursday Morning
PAINTER, Ala. — An early morning explosion on Thursday, May 22, brought a massive response from emergency personnel to a residence in the 45000 block of Alabama Highway 75 near the Painter Community, ultimately revealing a tragic scene.
According to DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden, deputies were dispatched around 1:30 a.m. following a 911 call reporting an explosion and fire. Upon arrival, law enforcement officers discovered the home fully engulfed in flames. Inside, they found 63-year-old James Arnold Wilson of Crossville deceased from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Fire departments from Geraldine, Crossville, Kilpatrick, and Grove Oak worked together to battle the blaze, while officers from the Geraldine, Crossville, Fyffe, and Collinsville police departments helped secure the area for investigators. The DeKalb County Criminal Investigations Unit responded shortly thereafter to process the scene.
“After the fire was contained, investigators processed the scene and interviewed witnesses,” Sheriff Welden said in a statement. “The fire was determined to be the result of an intentional explosion, and Wilson was determined to have died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
Assisting in the investigation were personnel from the Jacksonville State University Center for Applied Forensics, the Geraldine Police Department, and multiple fire service agencies.
Sheriff Welden expressed deep sympathy for Wilson’s family, stating, “We pray that the Lord be with this family as they mourn the loss of their loved one, comfort them with your love and the peace only you can give.”
He also extended gratitude to the many first responders who aided in the emergency response: “We would like to thank all first responders with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office; the police departments of Geraldine, Crossville, Fyffe, and Collinsville; the fire departments of Geraldine, Crossville, Kilpatrick, and Grove Oak; and the DeKalb Ambulance Service.”
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, though officials do not believe there is any further threat to the community.
