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Man killed, teen injured in fireworks accident
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Kacey Barlow loved desert racing, photography, the outdoors and his family, his cousin recalled.
"I had a baby six months ago, and she just adored him," said Nikki Fisher, 29. "He just was always there for me. He was a protector."
Barlow, 22, was killed Sunday night when an Independence Day fireworks celebration turned deadly.
Police investigators remained in the area until late Monday morning. Police have not released many details of the incident, which happened about 10:15 p.m. in the 6000 block of Pooh Corner Court, a cul-de-sac near Bonanza Road and Sloan Lane.
Fisher said her cousin lived in the 500 block of Madge Lane, just south of Pooh Corner. After a fireworks display near Barlow's home, he went across the street to watch another display, she said.
Barlow and a few others "were going to set off a big blast," said Fisher, who did not witness the accident. She had been told by witnesses that the group wasn't using traditional fireworks, but a "metal pipe" device, she said.
She didn't know who lit the explosives, but shrapnel from the blast pierced Barlow's heart, she said. He was rushed to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The family was in shock about his death, Fisher said, especially his parents, Louis and Pamela Barlow.
"You just go through all the moments, you know?" Fisher said as she tried to explain the loss of her cousin. "I just can't put it into words. There will definitely be a big gap missing now. A really big gap."
A teenager who lived on Barlow's street, Jacob Kittinger, also was struck by shrapnel, Fisher said. She was told that the injuries were to Kittinger's legs and that he was expected to be OK.
Fisher said her brother saw "a couple kids in handcuffs," and she heard that a 16-year-old boy in the neighborhood may have constructed the device.
Homicide Lt. Lew Roberts said police were still investigating but believed the incident was accidental. It hasn't been determined whether criminal charges will be filed against anyone in the case.
Pooh Corner resident Elbert Gray said he and his wife heard the "big boom" but did not know details.
Fireworks displays are common in the neighborhood each Fourth of July, he said, with many families participating.
He did not know if there was parental supervision at the time of the accident. He noted the blast he heard late Sunday was much louder than earlier explosions.
"I'm surprised this ended up happening," Gray said. "They do this every year. We always hear it, but nothing ever like this."
Another resident, who asked that his name not be used, said the cul-de-sac is normally full of kids from nearby streets.
It's normally very quiet, he said, and a safe place for kids. In recent years, he said, fireworks have become louder and more dangerous.
"There's so much stuff coming in, from Mexico and stuff," he said.
Of the incidents police investigated Sunday, this appeared to be the only case with serious injuries, officials said.
The holiday festivities were uncharacteristically quiet for firefighters. Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said that in the 15 years he has worked with the department, it was the "quietest Fourth I've worked."
Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.
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WOW! SUCH INSENSITIVITY! Would all of you negative people be saying the same rude, nasty and mean comments that you are had it been your son, nephew, cousin, uncle, brother, or friend?! As someone stated AND per the news reports....Kacey was a BYSTANDER! He did NOT make the device, he was there HANGING out with his friends! Am I condoning what happened or who is responsible? NO, but COME ON! A young man LOST HIS LIFE! And to the IDIOT talking about the "bowl cut" Maybe you should look in the mirror! I wonder what YOU look like! You know they say misery loves company so you must be DEVASTATED! I am appalled at some of these comments....you people are insensitive and uncaring! Regardless of how you feel about the reason or the way he died...HE DIED! This was a great young man! YES, I KNEW HIM PERSONALLY! You people are so full of hatred and evil...they should send you all over there to Iraq and Afghanistan to help fight this war! Maybe then you'd find some heart! Low Lifes!
I can't believe some of the comments below. First of all, from the facts we have so far, we don't know how involved Kacey was in the production and detonation of this dangerous firework. And even if he was highly involved, show some respect and compassion for the family. Let's be honest with ourselves: who can really say that they have never done something stupid or dangerous? In one way or another we lived to tell the story. If we all died when we made a poor choice, none of us would be here. Grow up, and remember that you are talking about a person that people loved and cared for before you are so quick to scorn.
If this was a case of underaged kids drinking, and there was an "adult" present, the so-called adult would be arrested for contributing to deliquency.
Painful as it is, I gotta' agree with "the hound"...sounds like a realy crappy street...and dangerous.
it was osamas secret cell that exploded that bomb!
Stupidity Kills
@Virgil - You can't outlaw stupidity.
@Kilgore - Exactly! While the idiots were using illegal fireworks on my block I stayed as far away as possible.
@Long Time Las Vegan:
No, "most of us" didn't do the same thing...which is why "most of us" are still here. One of he problems with this town is people who think that kind of behavior is somehow excuseable. Every time I see a group like this blowing up stuff in the street, I think about all the kids who are standing around watching adults who suffer from arrested adolescence...and I realize that this kind of thing doesn't happen often enough to thin the herd.
It always annoys me how inconsiderate the coarse people are who blow up their fireworks in my neighborhood until 2:00 A.M. in the morning after July 4. It keeps people awake.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence were MORAL people. Today we have too many IMMORAL people in America.
This deadly lesson learned about exploding dangerous fireworks in the neighborhoods of our city should be taken to heart.
Perhaps, had there been MORAL people that were careful about fire works in the first place, this would have never happened.
Thanks for reading this.
I wish you people had a heart! My husband is Kacey's cousin, and from what I've heard, Kacey was a spectator and was not responsible for building or detonating the homemade device that exploded. I pray that none of you ever have to suffer the loss of a child!
RIP