Bomb squad: Old shell displayed at Deadwood school inert

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DEADWOOD (AP) — A military bomb squad has determined that an old naval shell on display at a Deadwood elementary school is harmless.

According to media reports, the 500-pound shell is a relic of the Spanish-American War and had been on display at school for nearly a century. City officials recently began wondering if the shell could still explode and called in experts from the Ellsworth Air Force Base to check it out.

The shell was taken last month to the city's rubble site, where a small explosive was detonated on the back of the shell. Officials deemed the shell inert but say it could have been a live round previously.

The old shell has been repainted and will be on display at a city park.

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