Baby Shower Causes Death After 'Celebratory Cannon'—an IED—Shoots Shrapnel in Explosion

Lieutenant Liz Rich, a police spokesperson from Gains Township, Michigan, made it very clear to the New York Times that a man who was killed from injuries suffered after an explosion on Sunday was attending a baby shower, not a gender reveal party, where such baby-related explosions typically take place. The baby shower, which at the very least was held with less than ten people in attendance for covid safety, featured a small cannon that the party host (not the couple having the baby) had reportedly purchased at auction. Nonetheless, the device that reportedly killed the man seems an unusual choice for a party where the best gift is often a diaper tower. It shot shrapnel into him as well as “three parked cars and the garage where the shower was being held,” according to the Times.

The cannon was intended to make a loud noise and shoot out some smoke, a strange and watered down 21-gun salute for the soon-to-be parents. The owner of that cannon had tested it a few times, the Times reported, so when the fatal explosion took place it came as a surprise that the small novelty explosive device could, you know, explode.

As Americans approach the one-year mark of being asked to remain inside their homes and socially distance, the urge to make every moment count is becoming stronger. But perhaps moments like the birth of a child, or the announcement of the genitals of that child, don’t need to be marked with explosive devices? Considering that gender reveals have already caused a plane crash, a forest fire, and several non-lethal explosions, there has to be a better way. Have the people who bring explosives to parties considered confetti cake? All the fun of confetti and cake but none of the mess—and an almost zero percent chance that someone will be injured, maimed, or killed.

Rich told the Times that the Michigan bomb squad suspects there may have been too much gun powder in the device and lack of proper maintenance is what caused the entire thing to explode. It was also noted that the device looked “homemade.” Charges have not been brought against the owner of the device.