As sheriff’s investigators probe the blast set off Saturday by a distributor of legal explosive targets, nearby residents have expressed concern, while the man responsible is apologetic and said there was no malicious intent.
More than 100 calls reporting an explosion were made to 911 about 9:05 p.m. Saturday. A search and investigation were launched, revealing the cause to be a larger mix of a legal exploding target detonated at the distributor’s home near Wolverine and Bryan roads.
The cause of the commotion was a 40-pound explosive target, said Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Capt. Travis Palmer.
Jeremy Kinnamon, who is a distributor, said this is also his hobby. The 40-pound batch had been pre-mixed for a fun day of shooting, but the group didn’t show up, he said, and darkness came fast. The batch had to be detonated for him to remain legal, he said.
“I am apologetic to people...It was never intended to be a prank or malicious, or to cause such a disturbance,” he said. “In order for it to be legal, it has to be mixed and set off on site.”
Kinnamon, who typically uses 5- or 10-pound targets per shot, said this was the most he’s ever used at the property; he said he couldn’t have let the mixture sit overnight.
While he could have made two 20-pound targets or four 10-pounders, he said several blasts might have caused more problems; he said the time of day seemed to be more of a factor.
The target is a two-part binary explosive, he said, consisting of ammonium nitrate and aluminium oxide. Once combined, it has to be detonated.
“There’s a lot of laws and rules,” he said. “It wasn’t ‘Let’s shake the world.’”
Kinnamon said exploding targets are used as part of marksmanship improvement and a small amount — similar to a can of snuff — is placed behind the bulls eye of a long-range target.
The targets can only be detonated with a rifle that shoots at least 2,400 feet per second, he said. There’s no fire at detonation, but there is a boom and smoke letting the shooter know he’s hit the bull’s eye, he said. Kinnamon said some also use the product to blow up beaver dams.
As part of this investigation, the sheriff’s office contacted federal authorities with the ATF — the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — and the state fire marshal’s office for any possible violations of the law, but there appeared to be none, Palmer said.
But many residents have expressed concern about the startling blast.
Robin Mikles, who lives within a one-mile radius of the area, said, “It literally shook our house — the noise was huge. It really scared us.”
They also went outside and noticed “black smoke rising in the air.”
Mikles said she wishes she would have had more of an idea what was going on, but her home didn’t have any damage.
“I hope they don’t do that large of an amount...It’s unnerving,” she said.
Fred Gouker, who resides about one-fourth of a mile from the site, had no damage at his home.
“It did rattle the house very good — the windows rattled,” he said. “It definitely got our attention.”
While he was unaware of Kinnamon’s business in these targets, Gouker said if it’s legal to do, then he’s not really worried. Gouker said he had heard two smaller explosions in the day.
As part of the probe, Palmer said a few residents have reported cracked windows and walls, and even a few pictures being knocked off walls because of the incident.
One resident said she heard a “horrendous boom,” and it caused a piece of siding under a porch to become unattached, resulting in some insulation falling from the attic.
The woman said they normally hear gunshots because they live outside the city limits, but she was surprised by this incident. She said the neighbor shoots often, “but never to this extreme.”
Kinnamon said he was 150 feet away when he shot the suspended target in the middle of his 250-acre property. He said his home’s six-foot windows were unaffected and pictures hanging on his walls didn’t fall. Other homes are at least 400 to 800 yards away, he said, so he doesn’t know what to say to those who have said they have damage.
“My intention was not to scare or upset anyone,” he said.
But in the future, he said, “I’d be happy to tone it down.”
Kinnamon told The News-Star he plans to make a public apology, and said for future events, he will let law enforcement and the public know there may be noise in that area.
He said he keeps in regular contact with the ATF and other agencies on a regular basis; he said the products for these types of targets are sold at gun shows.
While Palmer said the ATF found nothing illegal about the incident because of Kinnamon’s business, deputies were still investigating this matter Wednesday and awaiting word from the FBI.
Once the investigation report is complete, it also will be turned over to the local District Attorney’s office for review concerning state laws, Palmer said.
“We will turn it over to the DA and let them decide,” Palmer said.
Watch for updates.

Copyright 2010 The Shawnee News-Star