Michigan man killed when cannon used at baby shower explodes

[displayfireworks1]

I am trying to find more details on the type of device they used and how it was set up. It looks like this happened in Michigan.
.
.
.
GAINES TOWNSHIP, MICH. -- A 26-year-old Michigan man was killed in an explosion that occurred during a baby shower, according to Gaines Township authorities.

A small cannon device that was fired in the backyard of a home by the homeowner blew up, spraying metal shrapnel that struck an unidentified Hartland man who was standing nearby. The man was taken in serious condition to Hurley Medical Center in Flint, where he later died.

Three parked cars and the garage where the baby shower was being held were also struck by shrapnel.
.
.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/michigan-man-killed-cannon-baby-shower-explodes-75742290
.
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5537&stc=1

[Arclight]

Don't try to fire a decorating cannon made of cast iron. It's a frag bomb waiting to happen. A decent cannon should either be cast bronze or machined from a solid blank of steel or seamless, high-strength tube like a large hydraulic cylinder.

[displayfireworks1]

Is that what happened here, did they use a decorative cannon ? I thought I read they purchased it at a local auction? I'm still trying to find information on it.

[Arclight]

It's hard to say. But a machined steel one is unlikely to do this.

[displayfireworks1]

Here is a little more I found on this.
.
.
.
The state police, Michigan State Police Bomb Squad and the Gaines Township Fire Department were among the authorities that responded to the scene, the police said.

Investigators are focusing their attention on whether the device was used properly or malfunctioned, Lieutenant Rich said.

In a news release, the police said the device ?was similar to a signal cannon, more commonly used now as a novelty item.?

The homeowner bought the cannon at an auction and fired it ?several times? beforehand, the police said in a statement. It was ?designed to create a big flash, a loud noise and create smoke.? However, the device was not intended to reveal ?a color? similar to explosive devices used at gender reveal parties, Lieutenant Rich said.
.
.
.
Lieutenant Rich said that even in states like Michigan, where fireworks are legal, explosive devices can present obvious risks.

?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,? she said.

The device may not have been used properly, Lieutenant Rich 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,? she said.

In describing the device, she said ?it almost looked homemade.?

[Rick_In_Tampa]

It's unfortunate that some people have to learn lessons the hard way. They place so little value on their own life, and never consider the consequences of their actions and how it will affect the people they leave behind.

[BMoore]

The below article has a video of the cannon in question. Hard to tell but it looks like it could be brass? I would imagine firing it multiple times in freezing weather didn't help.


https://www.abc12.com/2021/02/10/newly-released-video-shows-cannon-that-exploded-in-gaines-township/

[Arclight]

Or maybe they used flash instead of BP?

[displayfireworks1]

Here is video of the canon used. It does not look familiar. Not sure what mixture he was using in this video but it looks slow.
.
https://www.abc12.com/2021/02/10/newly-released-video-shows-cannon-that-exploded-in-gaines-township/

[Arclight]

That looks like Pyrodex or something homemade. Not enough pop for 3F or similar commercial BP.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Poor guy must have juiced it up with something different because the "explosion" in that video was pretty tame.

If that's the actual cannon it didn't look like cast iron to me. It look more like brass or bronze.