Baby Shower Ends in Tragedy After Exploding Cannon Kills Michigan Man

A bizarre and tragic incident from Michigan is making headlines this week after an archaic weapon misfired at a baby shower, killing a bystander.

The juxtaposition of celebrating a mother’s journey and legitimate firepower hasn’t always been a thing, despite a number of destructive incidents that have occurred in the past year.

The first such event came after an explosion used to reveal the gender of a coming child sparked a massive and deadly wildfire in the foothills of California.

Now, halfway across the country, tragedy has struck again.

A Michigan man was killed Saturday night after he was struck by shrapnel from an exploding cannon at a baby shower in the state, police said, according to reports.

A Genesee County homeowner fired the small cannon-type device in the backyard around 7:30 p.m., to celebrate the baby’s pending arrival, Michigan State Police said in a news release.

The cannon blew up upon firing, spreading metal shrapnel that hit the victim, Evan Thomas Silva, 26, three parked cars, and the garage where the baby shower was held, police said, according to MLive.com.

The cannon itself was void of any projectile, and was simply meant to ignite the gunpowder within to create a small explosion for show.

Instead, the powder caused the cannon to crack and fail, sending out the fatal shrapnel.