Grenade blast kills father and injures his two children
An Indiana father was killed and his two children injured after searching a grandfather’s belongings and finding a hand grenade that exploded when someone pulled the pin, authorities said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Department did not say who pulled the pin on the family home in Lakes of the Four Seasons, a gated community of about 7,300 residents and about 140 miles northwest of Indianapolis.
The explosion, which occurred sometime before 6:30 p.m. Saturday, released shrapnel that injured the father’s 14-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter, who were taken to a hospital, the sheriff said in a statement. Their condition was not immediately known on Sunday evening and authorities have not identified members of the family.
The father was found dead at the scene, the sheriff said.
An explosive ordnance disposal squad was called to the home “to secure the area and determine if there may be any additional explosives,” authorities said.
The sheriff’s department did not immediately respond to email inquiries Sunday night. Homicide detectives investigated the explosion.
Such grenade explosions are extremely rare, he said Lieutenant Colonel Robert Leiendeckeran expert in explosive ordnance disposal and a former commanding officer of the 67th Ordnance Detachment stationed at Fort McNair.
“There are many hand grenades in private homes, parts of collections or war memorabilia that the family has kept,” Colonel Leiendecker said. But “a very, very high percentage,” he added, “is totally inert and safe to handle.”
About 15 years ago, the Colonel said, it was more common to see families tripping over war souvenirs like a grenade or some ammunition while cleaning the attics or closets of World War II veterans. In the vast majority of those cases, Colonel Leiendecker said, the grenades were inert and legal to have.
“The last thing you ever want to do with a grenade is pull the pin until you know 1010 percent that it’s totally inert,” he said.
It’s likely that when the pin was pulled in Indiana on Saturday, a loud bang came from the shell as the firing pin hit the primer, Colonel Leiendecker said. That moment was probably followed by a delay of three to five seconds. During the delay, a column of black powder would burn down to the blast cap before the grenade exploded.
“Don’t do this,” the Colonel said. “If you have an explosive and you don’t know exactly what it is, call the local police and have them come and investigate.”
John Ismay reporting contributed.