QUEEN ANNES COUNTY, MD
Deputy State Fire Marshals are investigating an incident where a teenager was injured while attempting to discharge a makeshift firearm. The 13-year-old sustained burns and traumatic injuries after he attempted to shoot the rudimentary weapon, which investigators described as a metal pipe filled with black powder.
Just before 11:00 p.m. on August 15, 2024, Church Hill Volunteer Fire Company and Queen Anne’s County Department of Emergency Services paramedics responded to the 200 block of Laysan Teal Court in Church Hill for a traumatic injury. After being stabilized, Maryland State Police Aviation Command flew the teenager to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, where he is listed in stable condition. The Office of the State Fire Marshal was requested to investigate after it was determined the injuries were the result of an explosion.
Investigators concluded that a metal pipe filled with an unknown amount of black powder subsequently exploded when he attempted to initiate the device with a cigarette lighter. They also determined there was no evidence that he intended to manufacture a destructive device for nefarious reasons, and no criminal intent was suspected.
Deputy State Fire Marshals searched the property and found no similar or other destructive devices.