Father of Palm Springs bombing suspect describes son’s upbringing – NBC Los Angeles

The daddy of Man Edward Bartkus, the person investigators suspect of bombing a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, says he was shocked to be taught concerning the allegations regardless of not having talked to him in a few decade.

“He had an excellent coronary heart, and it is onerous for me to consider that this was him,’ mentioned Richard Bartkus.

The final time Bartkus noticed his son was about 12 to 13 years in the past, he says, after divorcing Man’s mom and shedding authorized custody. Man later moved to Twentynine Palms along with his mom, in response to his father.

Bartkus described his son as a “good child” who loved taking part in video video games.

“He used to stay up with individuals. If any individual, larger children, had been selecting on smaller children, he would assist the smaller children. They’d make massive children depart them alone,” mentioned Bartkus.

Though the 2 had not spoken shortly, Bartkus says he at all times thought they’d ultimately meet once more.

“I am completely unhappy as a result of I do know, I at all times thought we would have an opportunity of getting again collectively. I have not seen him in 12 years and now I will by no means see him once more,” mentioned Bartkus.

Man was killed and a minimum of 4 others had been injured after a automobile explosion outdoors the American Reproductive Facilities fertility clinic on North Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs.

Anti-natalist ideology seems to be the motive behind Saturday’s lethal bombing, two senior legislation enforcement officers informed NBC Information.

When requested concerning the alleged Anti-natalist ideology, Bartkus says he was unfamiliar with the beliefs.

“I’ve by no means identified a believer in something like that earlier than, no,” mentioned Bartkus. “I’ve by no means even heard him discuss one thing like that.”

Bartkus used a singular on-line identification in current months as he posted about being a self-described “anti-natalist,” sources inform NBC4’s Eric Leonard.

Movies posted on-line a number of months in the past, tied to the identical identification, seem to point out experiments with do-it-yourself explosives and a complicated understanding of chemistry.

FBI Assistant Director Akil Davis says brokers are nonetheless analyzing the potential motive and says it is too quickly to verify a lot, however he says the bomb that was constructed was extraordinarily highly effective, and it fully destroyed Bartkus’s Ford sedan and scattered particles for blocks round.