Man shot dead by his own booby trap

Thanksgiving went with a bang for one man in Maine. It was of his own making but, safe to say, not what he intended.

The man was tragically killed after his homemade booby trap malfunctioned.

The homeowner, identified as 65-year-old Ronald Cyr, apparently dialed 911 to report that he was being shot at. At that point he did not realize that he was in fact under “friendly fire” from his own device.

The terrible accident unfolded on Thanksgiving night in Van Buren, a town on the Saint John River in Aroostook County, Maine, just across from the border with Canada.

Police arrived and found Cyr’s home had a booby trap set up to fire a handgun at anyone who opened the house’s front door.

Officers called in the state bomb squad after finding other “unknown devices.”

State and local police investigators determined that one of the homemade devices unintentionally discharged, wounding Cyr.

Cyr was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A local police source who declined to be identified said that the death was “a terrible tragedy” for the homeowner and his family. “Everyone has the right to protect themselves but firearms must be handled responsibly and safely at all times.”

	Van Buren, Maine
Location:	Saint John River in Aroostook County, Maine, located across from Saint-Leonard, Canada
Population:	2,171
Median Household Income:	$20,038
Quirky Fact:	Van Buren is part of Francophone North America: 76.6% of residents are habitual speakers of French