BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (AP) — An 18-year-old man died early Monday after a firework exploded in his face in a Minneapolis suburb.
The incident was the first publicly reported death in Minnesota from fireworks this year, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Police in Brooklyn Park responded to the scene around 1:30 a.m. Monday. Officers said they found a man with severe wounds to his head and face, and a friend who was performing CPR on him. The man later died at a local hospital.
Minnesota fireworks fatalities are rare, although an Apple Valley man died in 2021 after he was hit by a firework. Before then, the last fireworks-related fatality in the state was in 2015.
In 2021, 17 Minnesotans were injured by fireworks, down from 78 injuries in 2020.
Nationally, nine people died last year from fireworks-related injuries.