Generosity may not always be a good thing. Kevin Shelton, nicknamed "Money Man," a wealthy real estate investor in St. Petersburg, Florida, has been trying to prompt others to be generous. A fine idea! The problem came with the execution.

On Saturday, September 13, 2003, Shelton publicized a money giveaway at the BayWalk shopping mall courtyard. He appeared on a balcony with a small silver tube—; his "cash cannon"—that shot wads of $2 bills. Hundreds of people below him waited as he discharged nearly $10,000 in cash over the crowd. Then things got crazy. In the frenzy, a dozen people were injured, half of them going to the hospital. Shelton didn't even realize anyone had been hurt.

A spokeswoman for the mall said they'd have to decide if anything should have been done differently.