Cannon fired at Michigan baby shower kills man

Evan Thomas Silva, 26, had been standing about 10 to 15 feet from the cannon as it was being lit. He was sprayed with shrapnel when the contraption blew up, reports say. Several agencies responded to the scene, including a bomb squad. Silva was rushed to Hurley Medical Center in Flint, where he died.

Four or five people were outside at the time of the explosion, but no other injuries were reported. Metal from the blast hit three cars in a garage. The homeowner purchased the cannon at an auction and had fired it several times before, the News reported. The device is similar to a Signal Cannon, which is commonly used as a novelty.

“The cannon is designed to create a big flash, a loud noise and create smoke,” Michigan State Police said in a news release, according to The Detroit News. “The cannon did not contain any projectiles, but it is suspected that the gun powder loaded into the device caused the cannon to fracture, resulting in shrapnel being spread in the area.”

The case remains under investigation, and the Genesee County prosecutor will review the evidence.

“Yesterday evening, Evan Silva was in a fatal accident,” his brother Phil Silva posted in a tribute on Facebook. “He has left behind a loving family, countless friends and memories in all of our hearts. Further details are to come, your thoughts and prayers are appreciated.”

This weekend’s deadly turn recalls several other recent mishaps — where celebratory devices eject confetti, balloons or colored objects to announce the gender of a baby.

In September, a couple’s plan to reveal their baby’s gender with blue or pink smoke sparked a wildfire that burned thousands of acres in Southern California. And in 2019, a homemade explosive used to reveal a baby’s gender killed 56-year-old Pamela Kreimeyer in Knoxville, Iowa. The device was meant to spray powder but instead blew up like a pipe bomb.

Information provided by Tribune News Service was used to compile this report.