A South Carolina father decked out in a stars and stripes outfit and top hat was instantly killed Thursday when he placed a lit firework on top of his head moments before it exploded, officials and family reportedly said.
Allen Ray McGrew, 41, was putting on a fireworks show for his neighbors on the 4th of July and wanted to “show off” during the block party in the town of Summerville, according to reports.
McGrew suffered fatal head injuries after witnesses told authorities he sparked the large firework and bizarrely placed it on his head around 10:30 p.m., the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office said, according to WCBD.
The victim’s wife told deputies she thought he was trying to “show off” as family members pleaded with him to stop, the sheriff’s office said.
He died at the scene.
“He was holding this firework over his top hat,” Paige McGrew told the Post and Courier.
“I thought he was just showboating before he set it on the ground. I didn’t realize he had already lit it.”
The incident happened after he had been drinking for several hours, according to a police report obtained by the newspaper.
McGrew, the father of a son who was recently engaged, loved Independence Day, and wore a new Uncle Sam costume during the block party.
“Allen loved this holiday,” his wife told the Post and Courier.
“He was a patriot; he was proud of his son and he was excited to have a new daughter-in-law. He was living his best life last night.”
She reportedly said she’ll remember him as a “genuine, good person” who “loved life.”
“He worked hard,” she said of the HVAC worker, “and he played hard.”
