Toy Cannon Kills 14-Year-Old Boy [Video]

Robby Ostberg, a 14-year-old boy in Utah accidentally shot and killed himself earlier this week while playing with a miniature toy cannon.

The Washington Post reports that Robby was playing with the toy cannon in his living room on Monday morning. The cannon went off and hit the boy in the face. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lucille Hertel, Robby’s grandmother, said:

“He was one of these kids who was very mechanically inclined. He could fix any lawn mower, almost any motor. He never got into trouble. He wasn’t a troublemaker or anything.”

Hertel said that Robby would normally shoot pieces of tin foil out of the toy cannon. Police have not released any details about what type of projectile killed Robby.

The toy cannon was given to Robby by his grandmother several years ago. It was an 18th century replica with a 6-inch metal barrel.

Hertel said:

“It was an accident that shouldn’t have happened. It was just a toy.”

The mini cannon was designed to fire projectiles with black powder. The boy’s father said that he did not know that Robby had access to black powder. ABC reports that police are currently awaiting an autopsy.

Here’s a report from ABC.