Family Of Austin Bomber Lives In Colorado: 'We Had No Idea'
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - The man responsible for the six bombings in Austin, Texas that killed two people has ties to Colorado.
Mark Anthony Conditt's grandmother, aunt and uncle live in the Denver area. Conditt's uncle Mike Courtney told CBS4 investigator Rick Sallinger Conditt, 23, was in Lakewood with them just last Christmas.
He said they had "no clue" that he may have been planning bombings, and he seemed normal as he played cards with them.
Courtney added his nephew was rebuilding a house with dad in Texas recently.
Jeff Reeb, a neighbor of the Conditt's in Pleurgerville, Texas, had kind words for the family.
"Extremely nice and wonderful people," he said.
But at Conditt's home, SWAT teams were breaking in and the picture people had of the young man was now very different.
Reeb tried to make sense of it all.
"There's no way to understand this none whatsoever," he said.
Video surveillance pictures of a Fedex store obtained by KEYE-TV in Austin showed the suspect wearing a wig. The video from the store also revealed his license plate number and other details.
Using technology and Fedex records, investigators were able to trace their suspect to a hotel. He then got in a car, was confronted on the highway by police, drove into a ditch and blew himself up.
Conditt's family issued a statement:
"We had no idea of the darkness that Mark must have been in. Our family is a normal family in every way. We love, we pray, and we try to inspire and serve others."
They added their prayers are for the families who lost loved ones in the bombing and the "soul of our Mark."
Conditt's father, Patrick, attended the University of Colorado in Boulder. The family statement added:
"We are grieving and in shock. Please respect our privacy as we deal with this terrible, terrible knowledge and try to support each other at this time."
CBS4's Rick Sallinger is a Peabody award winning reporter who has been with the station more than two decades doing hard news and investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ricksallinger.
