Overland Park explosives disposal team called after artillery shell found at thrift store

The Overland Park Police Department’s explosives team responded to the Blessings Abound Thrift store near West 103rd Street and Metcalf Avenue late Wednesday morning after employees found an artillery shell in a batch of donations, according to police.

Police were called to the store around 11 a.m. to investigate the item. In social media posts about the incident , police asked people to avoid the area while they investigated. They posted a short time later that the device had been rendered safe and was in their possession.

Police are investigating the shell further, though Officer John Lacy, a police spokesperson, said he did not believe the round was live.

“Somebody just donated a whole bunch of stuff and that was in there,” Lacy told The Star.

“If anybody gets any kind of suspicious package, if it’s on their doorstep and they know they weren’t expecting a package and it looks suspicious to them in nature, it’s always OK to give us a call,” Lacy said.