Summary
Highlights
The confrontation with the MOVE compound began three years prior, but the critical events started the previous night with evacuations. At 5:30 AM, warrants were to be served, and just 20 minutes later, at 5:50 AM, heavy gunfire, including automatic weapons fire, erupted. People began to scatter and panic as police took armed positions.
Sporadic gunfire continued for about an hour and twenty minutes. Reports emerged of homes on Osage Avenue burning, with white smoke visible from several roofs. Despite the fires, no fire trucks were visible on 62nd Street, and water was primarily aimed at the MOVE compound.
New videotape revealed a significant turning point: at 5:27 PM, a State Police helicopter dropped an incendiary device, causing a dramatic explosion that ripped into the MOVE compound. The explosion was so powerful that it was deemed impossible for anyone in its immediate vicinity to survive.
Ramona Africa, the first adult MOVE member removed from the house, was taken to Mordia Hospital for second-degree burns but refused treatment. She was then transported to Police Headquarters for questioning by homicide detectives. Ramona Africa was named in an arrest warrant for terroristic threats, possessing an explosive, criminal conspiracy, riot, disorderly conduct, and harassment. Police expected to arraign her on these charges that night.