Couple discovers what appears to be unexploded grenade [sting ball] in Washington, D.C.

[crickets]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/2020-06-02-nationwide-protests-over-george-floyd-death-live-n1221821/ncrd1222646#liveBlogHeader

A couple was surprised to find what appeared to be a rubber grenade while out for a morning walk in Washington, DC.

Claire Felten, 24, and Arthur Nelson, 25, made the discovery outside the Apple Carnegie Library about 7:30 am in the area of Mount Vernon Square on June 2.

Felten said that when she noticed the black sphere on the ground, she picked it up to take a closer look thinking it was debris left over from civil unrest in the area the night before.

“I realized that there were like little pellets or something inside it that I could feel when I shook it,” Felten said. “We realized, ‘oh wait, nope, this is unexploded so we’re going to put this down and we're going to walk away.”

The couple called D.C. police who responded and disposed of the munition. Authorities described the device as “a non-hazardous rubber shell of a sting ball, a crowd control device used by law enforcement,” in an email to NBC News.

So, in addition to rubber bullets, there are rubber grenades. Great.

https://www.operationalmedicine.org/Safety/Weapons/StingBallGrenade.htm

This hand-held, hand-thrown grenade has an initial 1-second delay fuse, after which the fuse assembly is discharged at low speed away from the main charge. After an additional 1-second delay, the main charge detonates. This produces a loud sound, a bright flash of light, and the distribution of approximately 180 rubber pellets of .32 caliber size. Pellets travel up to 50 feet from the point of detonation. [snip]

After detonation, the rubber pellets rapidly lose velocity. Individuals struck by the pellets at long range are unlikely to notice anything or suffer any injury. Within 50 feet of the detonation, however, individuals usually notice an intense stinging at the site of impact. Because of the relatively low velocity and the character of the projectile (rubber), penetration beneath the skin is not usually expected. For those close to the site of detonation, however, penetration of the pellets beneath the skin is common.

Superficial penetration is treated by removal of the pellet, debridement of any dead tissue (rarely needed), thorough cleansing of the wound tract with large amounts of sterile saline, Ringer's lactate, or even plain water. Make sure to remove any foreign material (clothing threads, dirt). Then apply a loose gauze, and allow the wound to close spontaneously. Skin edges should not be primarily sutured. Administer tetanus prophylaxis. Deep penetration is treated just like any other low to moderate velocity penetrating wound from a foreign body.

Any pellet injury to the eye can be very serious and vision-threatening. If the operational setting allows, immobilize the eye (patching or eye cup) and arrange for transportation to a definitive care setting.

[cayugafalls]

1. That is sickening. Meant for maximum harm in crowds.

Not for dispersing peaceful protesters.

[abqtommy]

2. Any .32 caliber projectile can do a lot of harm. This thing is designed to kill or maim. I just

looked it up and the original Navy Colt sidearm first produced in 1851 was .36 caliber and it's use
in and out of our military caused a lot of injury and death. I never thought things would be this bad...

[Igel]

3. Depends on momentum.

That's mass times velocity.

Mass? Rubber < lead.

Velocity? Stingball probably < gun.

So the rubber pellets will have less--a lot less--momentum--than slugs.

My nerf darts used in a lab are bigger than 32 caliber. Closer to miniballs in size. And yet I have yet to see students die in the hall. (Arrested and perp-walked, carried out unconscious, carried out on stretchers injured, sure. But not dead. And not because of Messrs. Nerf & Nerf.)

[Jarqui]

4. You could see and hear some of them

going off in the video

Some of those bangs were not rubber bullets

[crickets]

5. Speak of the devil

This looks like what might be a close encounter with one of these things:

Link to tweet

OUCH.