LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Residents of Louisville and southern Indiana who heard a loud boom Wednesday night can stop wondering what it was now that authorities say they've identified the cause.
Several area residents called law enforcement authorities and news outlets Wednesday night and Thursday, trying to identify the cause of the window-rattling sound that was heard on both sides of the Ohio River.
"We was just outside hanging out," said Jon Cecil, who lives near Louisville's Rubbertown. "I mean, you just felt the ground shake, stuff knocking over and all that, and a real loud boom. It knocked decoration trees over on my front porch."
Friday, after days of mystery, Floyd County Sheriff Frank Loop finally divulged the source. The sound originated from an explosion on private property on Five Mile Lane, near State Road 111. Someone on that property, between New Albany and Horseshoe Southern Indiana, detonated a large amount of Tannerite.
Tannerite is not illegal. Shooting enthusiasts often build targets containing it so those targets will explode when hit by a rifle shot. It's sold in sports stores and gun shops across Kentuckiana, including the Knob Creek Gun Range.
"It's something fun. It's just something different from ... shooting paper targets or cans or shotgun hulls or whatever it is that you choose to shoot," said Cole Daunhauer, a firearms instructor at Knob Creek. "You want to treat this the same way as you'd treat a firearm — with that amount of respect. It is an explosive compound when you mix it together."
Jasper Hawkins, a man whose family was responsible for the blast, said the explosion was just some harmless "hillbilly" fun during a pre-Independence Day party. He said the boom didn't hurt anyone, and he's already apologized to some of his neighbors. Despite reports to the contrary, Hawkins said the explosion also didn't damage any property or cause a large crater.
Police agencies in Floyd County and Louisville received numerous reports of the boom from residents in southwest Jefferson County, including the Pleasure Ridge Park and Valley Station neighborhoods. Several people also called the WDRB Newsroom and posted on Facebook to find out what it was.
MetroSafe dispatchers received enough calls to issue a statement to media outlets Wednesday night indicating that they were unable to identify the source of the sound.
Loop said deputies called to the scene found no crime was committed, because it's legal to own and use Tannerite, and any property damage should be handled by the property owners.
But Daunhaeuer said it's fun that can turn deadly if those who use it don't follow the rules and don't use it responsibly.
"It's got to be used properly, and sometimes, I think adults maybe need adult supervision," he said.
Hawkins, the man in-part responsible for the boom, said they won't be using it again.
Copyright 2019 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
