Man, 26 Died Saturday At A Baby Shower When The Celebratory Cannon Exploded

A 26-year-old man in Michigan died following a baby shower on Saturday where a cannon the host set off to celebrate a child’s pending arrival exploded.

The incident happened at a home in Genesee County, Michigan, near Flint, according to the Detroit News.

Michigan State Police said in a press release that the homeowner fired off a cannon, not as a gender-reveal event, but was instead intended to celebrate the baby with smoke, a big flash, and a loud noise.

The cannon, which the homeowner told police he had fired off in the past, exploded, causing metal shrapnel to strike Evan Thomas Silva and several nearby cars.

Silva, who was a guest a the party and the only person struck by shrapnel, was taken to a hospital in Flint where he later died.

Police told The New York Times that they believe gunpowder in the cannon may have caused the device to fracture and explode.

“The problem with things like this is when you use gunpowder and you’re using some sort of device without regular inspections on them, you may not see a hairline fracture in that device,” Lt. Liz Rich said in a separate interview with The New York Times. “There may have been too much gunpowder in there — that’s what our bomb squad suspects, that that’s the reason the entire thing exploded.”

Police are still investigating the incident, but Rich said no charges have been filed.