Reaction to an NBC10 exclusive report, releasing the final words of the inspector who killed himself following a deadly building collapse. NBC10's Nefertiti Jaquez has the details. (Published Saturday, June 15, 2013) 
 
 In a final message before taking his life, the lead building inspector responsible for a Center City building that collapsed last week said he was to blame for the deadly disaster. 
 
 "It was my fault. I should have looked at those guys working, and I didn't," Ronald Wagenhoffer said in a video recorded on his cell phone. 
 
 NBC10 Philadelphia has learned the 52-year-old veteran Philadelphia Licenses & Inspections staffer recorded the one-minute long message for his family. 
 
 Wagenhoffer was found dead around 9:30 Wednesday night of an apparent suicide, city officials confirmed at a press conference Thursday. 
 
 Reaction to Final Words of Inspector Before Suicide 
 
 We have reaction to an NBC10 exclusive report, detailing the final words of an L & I inspector who killed himself following last week's deadly building collapse. Only NBC10 has confirmed that the inspector admitted he never set foot on the construction site before signing off on the project. NBC10's Harry Hairston reports. (Published Friday, June 14, 2013) 
 
 Law enforcement sources say Wagenhoffer shot himself once in the chest inside his pickup truck along a wooded section of the 100 block of Shawmont Avenue in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia. That's less than a mile from his home. 
 
 In the video, Wagenhoffer says he couldn't sleep and blamed himself for the building collapse at 2136 Market Streets that killed six and injured 13 when the building collapsed onto a store on June 5. 
 
 He admitted he never truly inspected an adjacent work site after a citizen complained about safety concerns, although he reported there were no violations found. 
 
 "When I saw it was too late. I should have parked my truck and went over there but I didn't. I'm sorry," Wagenhoffer said in the message. 
 
 City officials said Wagenhoffer was sent to the demolition site of 2134 Market Street on May 14 -- that's adjacent to the building that collapsed at 2136 Market Street. 
 
 The inspection was set to take place after Center City resident Stephen Field complained to the city's 311 call center about a lack of safety equipment on workers and adequate protection of the sidewalk. The city has been saying for a week that no issues were found. 
 
 Building Inspector Admits Fault 
 
 The man responsible for inspecting the building that collapsed last week in Center City, admits he was at fault in a cellphone video he left for his family. Ronald Wagenhoffer apparently committed suicide last night. NBC10's Nefertiti Jaquez uncovers new information in the case. (Published Thursday, June 13, 2013) 
 
 Last Wednesday, the four-story outer wall of 2136 Market Street crumbled onto the Salvation Army Thrift Store next door. Six people were killed in the collapse -- three employees and three patrons. The wall also buried 13 others who were in different areas throughout the store, including the basement. They were eventually rescued by citizens and first responders. 
 
 Excavator operator Kane R. Robert, also known as Sean Benschop, stands charged in the collapse. Investigators with the District Attorney's homicide unit say he tested positive for the pain killer Percocet and marijuana on the day of the collapse. They allege he was in no condition to operate heavy machinery. A grand jury has been convened to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collapse. 
 
 L&I records also show Wagenhoffer completed and passed an initial inspection at 2136 Market Street on Feb. 25. 
 
 City officials said that fellow employees and L&I Commissioner Carlton Williams reached out to Wagenhoffer in the days after the collapse. 
 
 "This man did nothing wrong," Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison said at a press conference Thursday. "The department did what it was supposed to do under the code that existed at the time." 
 
 In a tweet posted Friday afternoon, Mayor Nutter's Press Secretary Mark McDonald refuted NBC10's reporting of the video message. 
 
 "NBC10 falsely stated that L&I inspector said of collapse -- "It was my fault." That is a total lie," he wrote. 
 
 NBC10 Vice President of News Anzio Williams said, "We have seen the video. We are standing behind our journalism." In a phone conversation with Williams, McDonald maintained his belief that the report was inaccurate. 
 
 A source close to the investigation who did not want to be named because they aren't authorized to speak publicly about the case, said Wagenhoffer had been grieving for days. They said Wagenhoffer did not take any time off after the collapse because he thought sticking to his work routine might help him deal with the tragedy. 
 
 On Thursday, Nutter, who is in Chicago, was asked if Wagenhoffer should have been placed on leave after the building collapse. 
 
 "Each of us deals with our grief and sorrow and any sense of responsibility in a different way. I'm not going to second guess his judgment to keep working," Nutter responded. He said Wagenhoffer had been in constant contact with his supervisor and was offered time off, but declined. 
 
 Mayor Nutter Responds to Inspector's Suicide 
 
 The lead inspector of a Center City building that collapsed last week commits suicide. Ronald Wagenhofferr was the last inspector to examine the building that collapsed, but city officials say he did nothing wrong. NBC10's Daralene Jones caught up with the mayor and asked why the inspector was still working after such a tragedy. (Published Thursday, June 13, 2013) 
 
 "I think what you have here is a 16-year-employee who cared very deeply about his job," said Nutter. "We don't know all the things that may have been going through his mind." 
 
 Commissioner Williams called Wagenhoffer an outstanding employee. 
 
 “He was a dedicated civil servant who did his job," he said. "He started in the Department of Public Property and moved his way up through the ranks as one of our top code officials in the Department of Licenses & Inspections." 
 
 Nutter said the city is also encouraging other employees to get emotional support if they need it. 
 
 "Obviously I don't know why this happened, but we've tried to send a message out certainly to all of our public employees who are deeply affected by this, especially those who worked with Ron," Nutter said. 
 
 Wagenhoffer leaves behind a wife, Michele and a son. 
 
 Mayor Nutter Astounded Over Inspector's Suicide 
 
 Mayor Michael Nutter said Ron Wagenhoffer was a man who cared deeply about his job and had a great love for the city of Philadelphia. Wagenhoffer shot himself to death last night. He was the lead inspector on the building that was under demolition when it collapsed last week onto a Salvation Army thrift store, killing six people and injuring 13 others. (Published Thursday, June 13, 2013) 
 
 Deputy Mayor Gillison added there are five investigations underway regarding the collapse and that the city is "proud" of L&I's work. 
 
 Griffin Campbell was the contractor overseeing the demolition. In a statement released by his attorney Kenneth Edelin, he said "heartfelt condolences go to the family of the inspector." 
 
 "We also continue to pray for the families of those that were lost, and for the health and speedy recovery of those that were injured," the statement continued. ||||| Get the latest Philly.com Daily Headlines newsletter delivered to your email. Sign up now! 
 
 Sean Benschop, center, with red jacket over his head, walks with investigators as he arrives at the Philadelphia Police Department's Central Detectives Division, Saturday June 8, 2013, in Center City Philadelphia. Benschop, the heavy equipment operator with a lengthy rap sheet accused of being high on marijuana when a downtown building collapsed onto a thrift store, killing six people, turned himself in on Saturday to face charges in the deaths, police said. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek) 
 
 The excavator operator charged in the deaths of six people at a Salvation Army thrift store in Center City turned himself in to police Saturday. Sean Benschop, 43, refused to give a statement on his role in Wednesday’s collapse, choosing instead to exercise his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. He will be arraigned, police said — it’s unclear when — and an investigation will continue, they said. Benschop’s arrival at Central Detectives headquarters, just off the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on North 21st Street, capped several days of scrutiny surrounding the Hunting Park resident. He was charged with six counts of involuntary manslaughter, 13 counts of recklessly endangering another person, and one count of risking a catastrophe, police said. At the time of the collapse, he was working for Griffin T. Campbell, the contractor hired by property owner Richard C. Basciano to tear down a four-story building next to the thrift store. On Wednesday, the remaining portion of that building collapsed during demolition and fell onto the store. There were 20 people inside. 
 
 Salvation Army employees Kimberly Finnegan and Borbor Davis and shoppers Juanita Harmon, Mary Simpson, Anne Bryan, and Roseline Conteh were killed. Fourteen others were injured. One survivor, Myra Plekan, spent more than 12 hours in the rubble before she was rescued by firefighters. 
 
 Sunday at noon, experts retained by the law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Barrett & Bendesky will be inspecting the site for evidence. The firm filed suit against the owner and contractor on behalf of Nadine White, a Salvation Army store clerk who survived. 
 
 According to a toxicology report, Benschop, of the 4900 block of North Seventh Street, had marijuana in his system at levels showing "he was unfit to perform safety-sensitive, job-related duties." 
 
 The report found it "reasonably scientifically certain" that Benschop was an "active recent user of marijuana." 
 
 Benschop has a long criminal record, with 11 arrests and 16 Traffic Court convictions. He served two terms in prison on drug charges in the 1990s. 
 
 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials sought to deport him to his native Guyana in 2005, but an immigration judge allowed him to remain in the country, according to an ICE official. The agency sought to remove Benschop because of his convictions on drug charges, said the official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to release the information. He declined to say why the judge rejected the request, noting that such details of cases are confidential. The hearing occurred in York, according to another source familiar with the proceedings. 
 
 The case was not unusual. ICE routinely moves to deport immigrants who have been convicted of crimes in this country. 
 
 Contact Aubrey Whelan at 610-313-8112, awhelan@philly.com, or follow on Twitter @aubreyjwhelan. 
 
 Inquirer staff writers Andrew Seidman and John Martin contributed to this report.
– The man who inspected a Philadelphia building three weeks before it collapsed last week, killing six and injuring 13, has died in an apparent suicide. The 52-year-old, whose name has not been released, inspected the building several times and ruled it safe after a complaint was lodged last month, reports NBC. He apparently shot himself in the chest while parked in his pickup truck in an isolated area about a mile from his home, where his wife found him. His suicide note had been a text to her. Meanwhile, a crane operator awaits trial in the collapse, while victims are suing the demolition contractor.