Medical examiner identifies 19-year-old killed in Clinton Township explosion

The Macomb County medical examiner has identified the 19-year-old man who was killed in the Monday night Clinton Township explosions as Turner Lee Salter.

A fire and series of thunderous explosions at a Clinton Township vape supply facility shot debris in the air as far as two miles away from the facility on 15 Mile on Monday night. Authorities said Salter, a Clinton Township resident, was hit by a canister less than half a mile from the site.

Macomb County Medical Examiner Dr. Mary E. Pietrangelo said in an email that Salter's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.

Salter's date of death is listed as Tuesday on the website of Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons, Inc., a Macomb County funeral home. A firefighter also was injured in the nighttime blast, and he was released from the hospital with minor injuries, officials said.

Police and firefighters are investigating the cause of the explosions at the facility, identified both as Select Distributors and Goo Smoke Shop. The facility stored containers of butane, nitrous oxide, lighter fluid and vape pens, officials said.

The debris included canisters weighing 10 to 15 pounds, which careened from the blast site with such force that they embedded into buildings and cars. The canisters were not stored there legally, Clinton Township Supervisor Robert Cannon said Tuesday. Township officials did not know the canisters were on site or how they were used. 

Clinton Township spokesperson Jim Perpich said Wednesday that Fire Chief Tim Duncan said it will be "some time" before personnel start digging through the scene as part of the investigation. The township believes the fire is mostly mitigated, but it can't guarantee yet that it won't flare up again, Perpich said.

"We want to give it some additional time before entering," Perpich said in an email.

More:Clinton Twp. explosions shot debris 2 miles away, felt like 'war zone,' officials say

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting with the investigation.

Township officials said Salter, the 19-year-old, was near a car wash while the fire was engulfing the building, and they think he was observing what was happening when he got hit by a flying projectile.

Salter is survived by three siblings, his parents, grandparents and other relatives.

Tim Berlin, pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Clinton Township, where Salter and his relatives worship, remembered the teenager as a "kind person" with a "sweet personality" who had a reputation for being dependable and responsible. Salter helped out in the church's media department, Berlin said.

"When you gave him something to do, you just knew it was going to get done, and it was going to be done the way he was supposed to do it," Berlin told The Detroit News on Wednesday. "... He was just one of those guys you could just always depend on."

Berlin said he first met Salter when he was 6 years old when he became pastor of Faith Baptist Church in 2011. He said he was "absolutely proud of the man that he became and his zest for life, his optimism in which he embraced life — it was very, very rewarding to watch what the Lord was doing in his life."

Salter's obituary on legacy.com says that he had a strong faith and "a personal relationship with Jesus Christ."

"He spent his entire life as an active member at Faith Baptist Church and enjoyed the many friends he had there as well as volunteering in the sound and audio booth," the obituary reads.

He enjoyed spending time with his family.

"He was very handy and loved to garden and cultivate trees from seed," the legacy.com obituary says. "He also enjoyed photography, bowling and traveling."

Janice Mitchell said on the funeral home's website that she remembers when Turner would come over to her house to hang out with his friend, Michael.

“He was such a joy to have around and very respectful,” she said. “I’m glad that Mike remained friends after we’ve moved to Kentucky.”

Diana and Vince Palazzolo said they are “so sad” to hear of Salter’s passing.

“He was such a good man & such a hard worker--our thoughts & prayers are with” the Salter family, they wrote. “I am in tears.”

A funeral for Salter is planned for Friday, Berlin said.

Visitation will take place from 6-9 p.m. Thursday and 9-10 a.m. Friday at Faith Baptist Church, 34950 Little Mack Avenue near 15 Mile Road in Clinton Township. A funeral service for Salter is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at the church, according to Berlin.

Donations in memory of Salter can be made on Faith Baptist Church's website.

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