According to Gaines Township authorities, a 26-year-old man from Michigan died in an explosion that occurred during a baby shower. A small cannon device fired by the homeowner in the backyard of a house blew up and sprayed with the metal scraper that hit the man standing nearby.
The man was taken in serious condition to Hurley Medical Center in Flint, where he later died. The man has been identified as Evan Thomas Silva of Hartland, reports the CBS subsidiary WNEM.
Three parked cars and the garage where the baby shower was held were also hit by shrapnel, the station reported. Michigan state police said it was suspected that the cannon powder in the device caused the cannon to break.
WNEM, referring to Michigan State Police, reports the cannon was purchased at an auction by the homeowner. The device was fired several times by the homeowner before February 6th.
Phone calls Sunday to Gaines Township authorities for additional information were not immediately returned.
In recent years, some gender-revealing events – where devices throw out confetti, balloons or other colored objects to reveal the gender of a child to be born soon – have taken a dangerous turn.
In September, a couple plans to reveal the gender of their baby with blue or pink smoke unleashed a wildfire that burned thousands of acres in Southern California. And in 2019, 56-year-old Pamela Kreimeyer in Knoxville, Iowa, used a homemade explosive to reveal the gender of a baby. The device was meant to spray powder, but blew up like a pipe bomb.