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Second SBI agent injured in explosion released from hospitalization

UPDATE (9/3/19) -- The SBI reports that agent Brian Joy was released from the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill yesterday to continue his recovery at home. Agent Joy suffered third degree burns in the July explosion. Agent Tim Luper was released from hospitalization August 3 but returns to the hospital today for further surgery on his injured shoulder.

UPDATE (8/7/19)  -- The SBI reports that agent Tim Luper was released from the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill this past Saturday (August 3). He continues his recovery at home. Agent Brian Joy remains at the Burn Center in critical condition recovering from third-degree burns suffered in the July 26th incident.

UPDATE (7/31/19) -- The SBI reports both agents came through surgery "well" on Tuesday. Agent Joy remains in critical condition with third-degree burns while Agent Luper is in stable condition after his surgery to correct a shoulder injury suffered in the explosion.

-- original story--

The two State Bureau of Investigation agents injured last week while trying to render bomb-making materials safe will have surgery Tuesday. A press release from the SBI described agents Tim Luper and Brian Joy as “in good spirits” as they continue to recover at the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill. Joy will undergo surgery for his third-degree burns. Luper has a dislocated shoulder and second-degree burns. Surgery will repair his shoulder. They were injured while assisting Sampson County deputies. A traffic stop revealed an explosive device in a car, which prompted a search of the suspect’s home where more explosives were found. An investigation of Jimmy Tyndall… who currently faces several charges including possession of a weapon of mass destruction… is ongoing. A GoFundMe page has been started to provide support to the agent’s families.

https://www.gofundme.com/ncsbi-bomb-squad-agents-injured-by-explosion

George Olsen is a 1977 Havelock High School graduate. He received his B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from the University of South Carolina in 1982 where he got his first taste of non-commercial radio working for their student station WUSC. After graduation he worked about five years in commercial radio before coming to work at Public Radio East where he has remained since outside of a nearly 3-year stint as jazz and operations coordinator at WUAL in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in the early 1990s. On his return to eastern North Carolina he hosted classical music for Public Radio East before moving into the Morning Edition host position and now can be heard on All Things Considered. He also hosts and produces The Sound, five hours of Americana, Roots Rock and Contemporary Folk weekday evenings on PRE Public Radio East News & Ideas, and is a news and feature producer for Public Radio East.