Father dead and two children injured after grenade detonates in Indiana home

Father dead and two children injured after grenade detonates in Indiana home

A father is dead and his two children were injured when a grenade detonated in their Indiana home on Saturday, according to authorities.

The deceased was identified Sunday by the Lake County Coroner's Office as Bryan Niedert, 47. "Injuries, cause and manner of death are all pending," it 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 looking through a grandfather's belongings at the northwestern Indiana home when they found a hand grenade. The device detonated when someone reportedly pulled its pin, the sheriff's department says.

The father was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead. His 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 Bomb Squad 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 to investigate.

The coroner's office said an autopsy on Niedert's remains would be performed Monday.

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