A US prosecutor says greed prompted a contractor in the city of Philadelphia to cut corners demolishing a building, causing the deaths of six people when the structure collapsed on a store next door.
District Attorney Seth Williams on Monday charged contractor Griffin Campbell with six counts of third-degree murder, in addition to a number of other charges of reckless endangerment and criminal conspiracy.
"The motive is greed," Williams was quoted as saying by the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper.
In the June incident, the four-storey building collapsed on the neighbouring Salvation Army thrift shop in Philadelphia, crushing six people including shoppers and injuring 13.
According to the charges, Campbell was responsible for reckless demolition procedures that failed to support the building's exterior walls while he gutted the building of valuable materials for resale - such as wooden joists that held up the floors.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Campbell ignored warnings by an architect that the building would collapse unless he erected exterior scaffolding, the district attorney's office said.
"Campbell was unwilling to pay for enough labour to perform the task," the charging statement by the district attorney's office said.
Under some state laws, third-degree murder refers to a killing that results from indifference, negligence or recklessness, according to USLegal.com website.
Campbell brought in a large excavating machine that rumbled near the unsupported external wall and contributed to the collapse. The operator of the excavator, Sean Benschop, 42, faces charges of six counts of involuntary manslaughter in addition to other charges.
