Man gives kids 40 mm shell to play with; 2 killed, 5 hurt

[Moderator]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/30/shell.explosion.ap/index.html

BAKERSFIELD, California (AP) -- A military shell given to a group of children by a neighbor exploded while they played with it, killing two children and injuring five others, police and witnesses said.

Police were investigating the cause of Tuesday's explosion, which damaged homes and forced neighbors to wrap bloodied and dazed children in blankets.

"As you can imagine, this was a traumatic experience for the kids and their parents," said Bakersfield Police Detective Greg Terry. "So it's going to take a while to sort things out,"

Andrew Etcheverry, 8, died at the scene, and Jeni Marie Klawitter, 7, died at the Kern Medical Center, the county coroner said.

The victims, the oldest 12 years old, suffered minor to moderate injuries. Police had initially reported that six children were injured but determined that a girl thought to be hurt was not at the scene when it exploded.

Frank Sendejo, who lives near the apartment complex where the explosion occurred, said Wednesday he had given a group of children a 40 mm shell. Police said they have talked with Sendejo.

Sendejo told The Bakersfield Californian that he thought the shell was spent and often used it as a "conversation piece." He said the firing pin and bottom shell casing had been removed, along with the gun powder inside.

"I thought it was harmless," he told the newspaper.

 

[SKS Ray]

After a search on 40mm shell I came up with this:

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/stephen.johnson/arms/bof1.jpg

I know its a chance that it wasn't the same type of shell he had but if so... look at all the dangerous components inside.

 

[Cross-X]

When will folks learn that bombs and shells can remain deadly for decades?

These munitions can sit on a shelf, in a dusty attic, or in a hole somewhere and still be ready in an instant to deal death and destruction.

Damn shame.

 

[KMaurer]

Sounds as if he belieed that it was just a large bullet. Once the case, powder and primer are removed, then it's safe. Unfortunately, it was probably an HE round, in which case the primer and powder in the shell were the least of the threats. Sad for everybody involed.

I used to prowl around that area when I was (a lot) younger, and there are oh so many "interesting" (i.e., potentially lethal) playthings to be found if only you look long and hard enough. Fortunately, we had been doing it long enough that we had some idea what we were doing.

Ken

 

[dreppucci007]

Very sad...Too bad some people just don't handle things like that with extra caution.

 

[chobicus]

I can't possibly be the only one who burst into laughter after reading the title of the thread.

 

[BillO]

Nothing funny that I can see.

 

[Moderator]

Nothing funny that I can see.

I was thinking the same thing. It's a shame that once again ignorance prevailed and the death of innocent children was the result.

 

[dwarven1]

I can't possibly be the only one who burst into laughter after reading the title of the thread.

You wanna bet on that? Mind telling us what you thought was funny about it?

 

[KMaurer]

If you don't occasionally find yourself laughing out loud and such monumental stupidity, sooner or later the world is going to push you right over the edge. As a wise person once observed, life is a tragedy to those who feel and a comedy to those who think. Naturally those of us who do both tend to exhibit seemingly bizarre emotional reactions.

A few years back my wife and I were in Boston for First Night. It was a particularly warm evening (the highest temperature for the month of December was recorded at midnight on the 31st), and we were viewing the ice sculptures before they all melted. There was a particularly large and clever display located in the then empty Frog Pond. As the sculptures melted the pond was left with a couple of inches of standing water. I happened to look down and noticed that the huge power cables for the lighting were laying in the same water in which we were all standing. Before I estorted my wife to a better vnatage point, I burst out laughing, attracting the attention of everyone around us. I couldn't shake the image from my mind of the next day's headline in the Delhi Times: "Hundreds of Americans Killed in Strange New England Ritual Celebrating New Year."

Ken

 

[Garys]

I agree with Ken. Tragic? Absolutely. However, it's the absurdity of the whole thing that provokes the laughter.

Gary

 

[cdkayak]

If he had done this to himself he'd be a darwin candidate.

Because of his ignorance children died. I see no humor in this at all.

 

[SiameseRat]

If he had done this to himself he'd be a darwin candidate.

Because of his ignorance children died. I see no humor in this at all.

+1