Police chief: MGM electrocution investigation looking at ‘multiple points of failure'
PALMER PARK, Md. - The Prince George's County police chief says his department is broadening its investigation into the June electrocution of a 6-year-old girl at the MGM National Harbor.
Public records obtained by FOX 5 show that the preliminary investigation two days after the incident blamed a malfunctioning piece of equipment that was supposed to limit the amount of electricity running to the lights.
That equipment failed, along with wiring that chafed and came into contact with the metal, sending 120 volts of electricity to the rail.
On Thursday, a forensic electrical engineer was commissioned by the county to update reporters on the cause of the electrocution.
That engineer, Brian Gsell, said the electrical work on the plaza at MGM where the girl was shocked was, "just terrible. As sloppy as I've ever seen."
Gsell said his inspection on June 28, two days after the incident, revealed none of the electrical work involving the low-voltage lights on the plaza was in compliance with national electrical code.
"The work in particular on the low voltage railings where the incident occurred was far below par of what any competent electrician should be performing. It was not even close to acceptable," said Gsell.
"It's shoddy work done by that contractor and a failure by the third-party inspector of record who was supposed to catch that and it's a shame we are in that situation," said Dr. Haitham Hijazi, DPIE's director.
DPIE has not taken any responsiblity for the electrocution even though it is supposed to check the work of 3rd-party inspectors.
The agency cited legal reasons for not naming the contractor who did the electrical work on that area at MGM National Harbor. Requests for comment from the company were not returned.
A whistleblower, however, told FOX 5 that an unsafe culture at Prince George's County's Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement contributed to the incident. Both DPIE and MGM deny the whistleblower's allegations.
Police Chief Hank Stawinski joined Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks on Thursday to offer an update on their investigation into the incident.
The chief says that his investigation is moving on from investigating "one point of failure" that led to the incident to examining "multiple points of failure."
Stawinski says he has not ruled out criminal activity in connection with the incident that critically injured Zynae Greene, who is still recovering four months after the incident.
He also noted that public corruption has "been part of the investigation from the beginning."
The authorities also confirmed for the first time that the FBI has been participating in their investigation into the incident.
MGM National Harbor offered a new statement on Thursday regarding the incident and the investigation: