Live grenade discovered as family cleans deceased relative’s home, New Orleans cops say

New Orleans police evacuated a one block area of the city after a family moving furniture out of a deceased relative’s house uncovered a live hand grenade, police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said at a Tuesday briefing.

The family called 911 and a bomb squad was soon sent out to the home in the 4100 block of Walmsley Ave. The bomb squad confirmed that the military grade hand grenade was still live.

Ferguson said the pin, which when pulled will trigger the grenade, was “dislodged” from the explosive, but that it did not go off.

“It fell to the ground, and we do not know right now how it did not detonate,” Ferguson said, adding that the device is in “very poor condition.”

“The hand grenade is rusty, but it is very active,” he said.

The FBI and Homeland Security are at the scene, and military assistance is enroute from Fort Polk, which is about 220 miles northwest of New Orleans.

Given that the grenade is of military design, Fort Polk is responding to dispose of the explosive, Ferguson explained.

There is no word yet on where the grenade is from or how it came to be in the recently deceased person’s house.

When asked if the grenade is left over from World War II or some previous conflict, Ferguson said he didn’t know.

“We have EMS as well as fire on standby in case of any unfortunate incident,” Ferguson said, asking members of the public to avoid the scene.

“Please, please stay out of the area.”