A quiet Wilmington neighborhood got a military-grade scare Tuesday afternoon. The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad was called to Ballast Drive after someone discovered what appeared to be a stinger missile lying in their yard.
Deputies quickly cordoned off the area and used X-ray equipment to examine the device. Investigators determined the object was a targeting trainer—a simulation tool used by the military that contains no live explosives.
While the "missile" turned out to be a harmless piece of training equipment, the sheriff's office says they are still investigating how the device ended up in a residential yard.
