An Artesia man has been cited on firearms charges relating to an explosion that originated from a pickup parked in front of the Allsup’s convenience store at 13th Street and Hermosa Drive Sunday evening. The blast sent the man to the hospital with minor injuries and forced the closure of the area for several hours.
Clayton McCall, 43, of Artesia, was cited for negligent use of a firearm in connection with the explosion, which involved the popular target-shooting explosive Tannerite, a fuel and oxidizer combination that creates an explosive when mixed and shaken.
Initial findings, including the fact McCall was just returning to the vehicle from being inside the store when the explosion occurred, suggested the Tannerite, which was reportedly pre-mixed prior to transport, an act that can, according to the Tannerite website, render the substance unstable, may have somehow detonated on its own.
Cmdr. Lindell Smith of the APD stated Tuesday that upon thorough investigation, evidence was found indicating a firearm had gone off inside the vehicle, triggering the explosion.
The Artesia Police and Fire Departments were dispatched around 4:58 p.m. Sunday to the scene after the explosion occurred inside the pickup, blowing open its doors, deploying the airbags, and causing minor injuries to the McCall. His wife, who was still inside the store at the time, was not injured, nor was anyone else in the area.
Officers with the APD, as well as fire and EMS crews with the AFD and NMSP officers, evacuated the area within a 750-foot radius of the store while they work to ensure another explosion did not occur.
The pickup, pictured above, sustained heavy damage.
The NMSP bomb squad was called in to ensure another explosion did not occur and has since turned the investigation over to the APD’s patrol division.
McCall faces a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine for the petty misdemeanor charges. He is out of the hospital and recovering.
