Man Standing In Front Of Cannon When It Goes Off

One man's Independence Day celebration ended with a trip to the hospital after a cannon he was loading misfired, leaving him with burns and lacerations over much of his body.

Kevin Scott Hankins of Archdale, North Carolina was packing powder into a cannon about 10 p.m. Saturday when the cannon went off, the Davidson County Sheriff's Office said yesterday.

Hankins had injuries on his arms and hands and lacerations and burns on his torso, waist, neck, head and arms. He was taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where he is in fair condition.

The cannon was a Civil War replica that was sitting on a wheeled carriage, said Davidson County Sheriff David Grice.

"We're looking to determine whether this constitutes a weapon of mass death or destruction," he said.

Hankins and some friends were firing the cannon. The cannon didn't fire the first time so Hankins went to pack more gunpowder. That's when the cannon fired.

The county doesn't require a permit for a cannon, and there aren't many regulations on cannon use, Grice said.

He said he doesn't expect that any charges will be filed against Hankins or the property owners. He said that the sheriff's office has contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

"I don't see any state violations that we can determine," Grice said. "It was an accident."

People often fire ceremonial cannons and rarely have problems.

"He was in front," Grice said. "That's where the problem was."