San Antonio man killed by fireworks after lighting one on his head

Medical examiner’s office identified him as Pablo Ruiz, 43.

File photo: Lighting a match (Pixabay)

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was killed by fireworks on Monday night, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

It happened around 12:20 a.m. in the 800 block of Harriman Place on the city’s Southwest Side.

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The medical examiner’s office identified the man killed as Pablo Ruiz, 43. His cause of death was determined to be a head injury due to a fireworks mishap/incident.

According to police, a witness and Ruiz were shooting fireworks and had been drinking when he decided to light a mortar-style firework from on top of his head.

Police said the firework exploded from the bottom of the tube, piercing the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Julie Moreno has worked in local television news for more than 25 years. She came to KSAT as a news producer in 2000. After producing thousands of newscasts, she transitioned to the digital team in 2015. She writes on a wide variety of topics from breaking news to trending stories and manages KSAT’s daily digital content strategy.

Ben Spicer is a digital journalist who works the early morning shift for KSAT.