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Man accidentally shot child while officiating wedding near Lincoln, deputy says (www.klkntv.com)

submitted 11 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

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A Texas man accidentally shot a child while officiating a wedding in Lancaster County on Saturday, the sheriff’s office says.

Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said deputies were sent to a wedding at Hillside Events near Denton on a report of a gunshot wound.

Deputies learned that 62-year-old Michael Gardner, the wedding’s officiant, fired a gun to get everyone’s attention.

“He was going to fire in the air, and as he did that, it slipped and went off,” Houchin said.

The gun was loaded with a blank that Gardner made with gunpowder and glue.

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[-] pete_the_cat@lemmy.world 22 points 11 months ago

Blanks can kill, ask Brandon Lee.

[-] reverendsteveii@lemm.ee 11 points 11 months ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Lee#Death

In a film shoot prior to the fatal scene, the gun that was used as a prop (a real revolver) was loaded with improperly made dummy rounds, improvised from live cartridges that had the powder charges removed by the special effects crew, so in close-ups the revolver would show normal-looking ammunition. However, the crew neglected to remove the primers from the cartridges, and at some point before the fatal event, one of the rounds had been fired. Although there were no powder charges, the energy from the ignited primer was enough to separate the bullet from the casing and push it part-way into the gun barrel, where it got stuck—a dangerous condition known as a squib load.

During the fatal scene, which called for the revolver to be fired at Lee from a distance of 3.6–4.5 meters (12–15 ft), the dummy cartridges were replaced with blank rounds, which contained a powder charge and the primer, but no solid bullet, allowing the gun to be fired with sound and flash effects without the risk of an actual projectile. However, the gun was not properly checked and cleared before the blank was fired, and the dummy bullet previously lodged in the barrel was then propelled forward by the blank's propellant and shot out the muzzle with almost the same force as if the round were live, striking Lee in the abdomen.[101][102]

So two blanks, one with no powder and the other with no bullet, effectively formed one round of live ammunition. What a truly wild story.

[-] bobman@unilem.org -5 points 11 months ago

He wasn't really killed with a blank.

[-] PapaStevesy@midwest.social 4 points 11 months ago

Right, he was killed by two, like they just quoted.

this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2023

494 points (97.5% liked)

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