Police Investigating 'Deliberate' Bomb at Colorado NAACP Office

Police are reportedly searching for a middle-aged Caucasian suspect they believe is responsible for placing a bomb outside of the NAACP offices in Colorado Springs, Colorado Wednesday morning.

The incident happened at around 10:45 a.m. on South El Paso Street in Colorado Springs, when a homemade bomb, strategically placed next to a canister of gas, exploded in front of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), as well as the neighboring Mr. G's Hair Design Studios.

There were no reported injuries in Wednesday morning's incident, and the building only sustained minimal damage as a result of the explosion. Those who were present in the hair salon at the time of the explosion said the building rocked and they heard what sounded like a gunshot blast when the homemade bomb detonated.

The FBI now says that Wednesday morning's bomb was a "deliberate" incident. The NAACP has now indicated that it is investigating whether the bomb can be categorized as a hate crime.

"This certainly raises questions of a potential hate crime," Sondra Young, president of the Denver chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, told the Los Angeles Times. "But at this point we're still gathering information. It's a very sad situation, but we're happy our people in Colorado Springs are safe."

Young added to the media outlet that the NAACP "stands tall with the community of Colorado Springs in rejecting an attempt to create fear, intimidation and racial divisiveness. Although this is an active investigation, one thing is clear: This is an act of domestic terrorism."