‘TOO MUCH GUNPOWDER’

Michigan Man Dies After Celebratory Cannon at Baby Shower Explodes

A police spokeswoman said it seems the owners of the cannon may have stuffed too much gunpowder into it.

A Michigan man died this weekend after a celebratory cannon exploded at a baby shower and sent pieces of shrapnel flying everywhere. According to The New York Times, the man has been named as 26-year-old Evan Thomas Silva, who was a guest at the party. Michigan State Police said that “a small cannon type device” was fired in celebration at the shower on Saturday, but a malfunction caused it to spray shrapnel at Silva. The man was transported to Hurley Medical Center in Flint, where he later died of his injuries. Police said the device “was similar to a signal cannon” that was “designed to create a big flash, a loud noise, and create smoke.” Lt. Liz Rich, a police spokeswoman, said: “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.”