Guest killed when cannon explodes at baby shower announcement party in Michigan

A Michigan man died on Saturday after he was hit with pieces of metal from a cannon that exploded after it was fired as a Michigan couple announced plans for a baby shower.

Evan Thomas Silva, 26, was sent to the hospital after attending a small party in the backyard of a Gaines Township, Mich., couple as they announced their plans. 

The cannon was meant to shoot into the air to mark the occasion but exploded instead, local police said, sending hunks of the metal frame flying more than a dozen feet into the small crowd. 

One of the metal shards struck Silva in the chest, WJRT reported, causing serious injures. Silva died at a hospital in Flint hours later.

“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,”  Lt. Liz Rich, a local police spokesperson told The New York Times. “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.”

An investigation into the incident is ongoing. 

“He has left behind a loving family, countless friends and memories in all of our hearts,” Silva’s brother said in a social media post on Sunday. “Further details are to come, your thoughts and prayers are appreciated.”