COOPERSVILLE -- A 12-year-old boy who accidentally injured himself found a .30-06 cartridge from his father's hunting ammunition, put it on his bedroom dresser and applied a lighter flame to it, police said.

The cartridge exploded and drove a casing piece into his neck, but the injury is not life threatening, according to Ottawa County Sheriff's Sgt. Brian Buter.

"He had no intent of harming himself or others. He acted carelessly," Buter said in issuing the overnight police report about the incident.

"Accidental discharge of a firearm" was the call deputies responded to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on Valley Oak Drive's 200 block, but upon arrival they found it was an ammunition explosion, not a gun incident.

The boy, whose name was not released by police, was conscious at the scene and responding to medics. He was transported to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital.

E-mail Julie Hoogland: jhoogland@grpress.com and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/JulieHoogland