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Maine man dead after shooting firework off head, police say

Devon Staples, 22, was killed instantly after attempting to fire off a firework from the top of his head, authorities said.

By Fred Lambert and Doug G. Ware

CALAIS, Maine, July 5 (UPI) -- Maine saw its first firework-related death this holiday weekend since legalizing the pyrotechnic toys two years ago, news media reported Sunday.

Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland told reporters that Devon Staples died instantly Saturday night after lighting a mortar tube firework from the top of his head during Fourth of July celebrations.

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"I was the first one who got there," Devon's brother Cody said. "There was no rushing him to the hospital. There was no Devon left when I got there."

Staples, 22, had reportedly been drinking with friends and setting off fireworks when the accident occurred around 10 p.m. EDT in the town of Calais. His death is the first of its kind recorded since Maine made fireworks legal in March 2012, according to officials.

"It was a freak accident ... But Devon was not the kind of person who would do something stupid," Cody said. "He was the kind of person who would pretend to do something stupid to make people laugh."

Cody Staples described his brother as a kind-hearted person who always tried to make a positive impact on people's lives.

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"Anyone who would want to give a tribute to Devon should go out and do something nice for someone. Show some love to someone you don't know. That kid was all about showing people love," he said, adding that Devon loved his occupation as a dog walker -- and aspired to make a difference in the lives of people who had pets with problems.

"He was someone everyone should want to be like when they grow up," Cody said. "He was my younger brother and I looked up to him."

A June 2014 study by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission tallied 94 fireworks-related deaths in the United States between 2000 and 2013, with eight occurring in 2013.

The incident joins several non-fatal firework-related accidents across Maine for this year's holiday, including burns and eye injuries in Friendship, Jefferson, Lebanon, Woodstock and another accident in Calais.

In Colorado, nine people were injured Saturday after a malfunction caused exploding fireworks shells to launch into a crowd rather than the sky.

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