A Bloomington man died late Saturday after apparently mishandling fireworks.
The county coroner pronounced Tyler Pinkley, 23, dead at the scene on West Tabor Hill Road, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Sunday.
Witnesses told investigators that Pinkley “was trying to light off a large mortar while holding it directly above his head. They said they tried to stop him, but he dismissed his friends, claiming he had done this before,” the statement said.
Sheriff’s deputies interviewed approximately a dozen witnesses and collected evidence, and they believe the incident was an accident, it said.
The Monroe County coroner didn’t immediately return messages over the weekend.
