A father died and his two children were injured when a grenade exploded in their Indiana home on Saturday, authorities said.
The deceased was identified by the Lake County Coroner’s Office on Sunday as 47-year-old Bryan Niedert. “Injuries, cause and manner of death are all pending,” he said in a statement.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Department responded to the home in the 3400 block of W. Lakeshore Drive around 6:30 p.m. for a reported explosion.
The family was rummaging through a grandfather’s belongings in the northwest Indiana home when they found a hand grenade. The device exploded when someone pulled its pin, according to the sheriff’s department.
The father was found unconscious and later pronounced dead. Her two children, a 17-year-old boy and an 18-year-old woman, were taken to an area hospital with shrapnel wounds.
The Porter County deminer responded to the area to secure it and determine if there were any other explosive devices, according to the sheriff’s department.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Department is continuing its investigation.
The coroner’s office said an autopsy of Niedert’s remains would be performed on Monday.
Ava Kelley, Ava Kelley, Denis Romero And Austin Mullen contributed.