(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A Indiana man was killed, and his two children were injured after a grenade explosion in northwest Indiana Saturday night.
The family was sorting through their grandfather's belongings at a home in Lakes of the Four Seasons, Ind., when they found a hand grenade, according to the Lake County Indiana Sheriff's office.
Someone pulled the pin, and it exploded, Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said.
When officers responded at around 6:30 p.m., they found an unresponsive man, 47, who was later declared dead.
His 14-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter were taken to the hospital with wounds from shrapnel.
It is still unknown why the grandfather was in possession of the explosive or where it came from.
The Porter County Bomb Squad was called in to search for other explosives. The case is under investigation.
Lt. Col. Robert Leiendecker, an expert on explosive ordnance disposal, spoke with The New York Times about the incident, sharing that it is extremely rare.
However, Leiendecker shared that it was more common about 15 years ago, as families began to find war souvenirs that veterans kept with them. He noted that in most of those situations, the grenades were inert and legal to have.
But not all of them are, and the colonel shared that anyone who finds themselves stumbling upon such explosives needs to be cautious of what could happen.
“The last thing you ever want to do with a grenade is pull the pin until you know 1,010 percent that it’s totally inert,” he said.
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