Girl's Hand Blown Off From Shell Found At A Police-Training Site

VANCOUVER, Wash. - A 13-year-old girl lost her right hand after a shell exploded as she was exploring an apartment complex recently used for police training exercises.

Leishell Booth of Vancouver was in stable condition at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland yesterday. The explosion Tuesday blew off most of her right hand. Doctors tried to reattach her index finger and thumb but did not succeed, so they amputated her hand at the wrist.

The 5-inch-long device was a reload shell for a "flash-bang" grenade used by SWAT teams to scare and disorient a suspect, said Vancouver Police Deputy Chief Erick Mellgren. He said it was not clear whether the shell was left behind by an officer or had been stolen from a SWAT team truck and left at the complex.

The accident happened at the closed-down Liberty Court apartments in West Vancouver, which have been used recently for training exercises by the Clark County Sheriff's Office, Vancouver police and federal agents. Windows are boarded and doors are locked.