HOUSTON – The Houston Police Department responded to a wooded area near Memorial Park after an “unexploded” device was found Monday afternoon.
It was discovered by a lawn clearing crew who were working to cut out underbrush in in the 2500 block of W. Memorial Loop Drive.
The device was identified as an artillery shell from the World War I era.
This portion of Memorial Park was once used as a World War I training facility, which explains why such a device might be found in the area.
Houston police responded to the scene to ensure public safety and asked people to avoid the area while they worked to secure it.
HPD’s bomb squad also check out the device and they said it appeared to be a possible live piece of ordnance, which was extremely old and not safe for transport.
The bomb squad took steps to make it safe by detonating the ordnance.
The park has now reopened to the public.