The Observation Deck

John, thanks for the post. I live 2 doors down and saw the whole thing unfold, as well as was the first person to come over and see him on the ground. It was horrifying & tragic. My friend grabbed my wife, who tied tourniquets off on his limbs, and thank God for the off-duty firefighter & EMT nearby, also.

I feel for his wife and family. I don't know him well, but some of the stories out there about him pointing it at people are absolut BS. It shot in the air and came back down & exploded. I gave my story to the police, and I hope they, the prosecutor, and judge have some compassion on what happened to him. It's going to take years for him to recover, and despite his inexcusable lack of judgement (we even said when we frist saw the explosion & felt reverb that he was a d*ck), I believe that will be enough, along with him providing PSA education to children & groups.

It's traumatic across the board. I can't get it out of my head, I can't stop seeing him laying there. I'm thankful for my friends who took my kids while my wife and I helped, and to all who flooded to help when we started yelling for help. A random man walking down the street, who had no clue what happened, even gave me the shirt off his back to use as a tourniquet, after I gave my wife mine. My neighbor, a man who was friendly, and who's wife would come over with her dog & talk to me while I'd be out in the yard with my son doing yardwork. She's a good woman, and didn't deserve all the media pounding at her door, those on social media trying to make the story about them, or any other attention other than prayers. I can't imagine what she is going through right now.

I ask our whole community to be compassionate, say prayers, send them cards (I can forward on if you like), and use this as a teaching moment.

I also think police, fire & EMT did a great job.

Whoa. Thank you for posting this, Mike—it's a valuable and compelling perspective on what that moment was like.

Thank you so much Mike for your actions and to everyone who responded! I failed to mention how many people came to his aid, truly incredible. I meant to walk down and talk to you that night but we were all having a hard time processing it. I should also mention how impressed i was by the professionalism and thoroughness of the Lakewood Police and Fire Departments.

I should iterate, in no way am i placing any blame on this other than on the person who committed the act. I just wanted to point out that we all react to trauma in a different way. My heart goes out to all of the neighbors and people who were nearby when this happened. Nobody should ever have to experience this. I'm traumatized and I wasn't even there when it happened. I understand their anger and i've spoken with a few of them. I've known the direct neighbors since I moved here in 2004 and they're good people.

Wow, just horrible for everyone. I'm really sorry if my response to this story, which was updated with different facts at least once since my initial reaction, was interpreted by some to indicate that I in any way think he deserved this or that I don't hope he makes whatever recovery is possible. Or that I think some type of ticket will leave a more lasting impression on him than the harsh and devastating penalty he has already suffered. And of course I have sympathy for everyone that loves him and depends on him. And I'd have been right out there trying to help if I'd been there.

My reaction on this board was much the same as seeing pictures of that totaled, flaming car on Detroit last summer, which police estimated was moving at over 50 miles per hour or something. That reaction is anger that someone would put others lives in danger - people who have no idea that death is veering towards them. Someone could have walked out of a bar right into his speeding car as it careened out of control. The mortar could have come back at an obtuse angle into the street and hurt a ton of families just trying to return from the park. It made me mad. I think that is natural.

I've said more than my 2 cents now. I'll stop.

Boy, that is real hard news, so sorry, fault or not, too bad, so sad, I can't imagine what I'd do without hands.

is there an update on this man? I stopped by the house over the weekend to check on them but no home.

A cautionary tale from last Fourth of July worth revisiting.