A Lakes of the Four Seasons man was killed and his two teenage children were injured Saturday night when a grenade found in a relative’s belongings exploded, according to police.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office identified the man Sunday as Bryan Niedert, 47. An autopsy is pending.
Around 6:30 p.m., officers from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department responded to an explosion that occurred in the 3400 block of W. Lakeshore Drive in Lakes of the Four Seasons. The family members had been going through their grandfather’s belongings when they discovered a hand grenade, police said. At some point, someone pulled the pin on the grenade and it detonated, according to a release from the sheriff’s department.
Police found a man who was unresponsive at the scene and he was later declared deceased, while the man’s two children, a 17-year-old son and a daughter, 18, suffered shrapnel wounds and were transported to an area hospital, police said.
The area was secured by the Porter County Bomb Squad, while they determined whether there may be additional explosive devices. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department Homicide detectives and CSI unit are investigating.
Lake County Coroner David J. Pastrick released a statement expressing condolences and prayers to Niedert’s wife and family.
“Thank you to all law enforcement agencies for their quick response and assistance with this tragic circumstance,” he said.
No further information is available at this time.
Last August, Cedar Lake Police found World War II-era mortar shells and two grenades on a property.
