Celebratory Gunfire Injures At Least Eleven
Many people were injured by celebratory gunfire on this New Year’s Day.
During a small gathering of friends and their children, an 8-year-old boy in Missouri City, Texas, was grazed by a bullet from celebratory gunfire that came through one of the home’s living room windows. The boy was injured by the ricocheting bullet or a shard of glass.
Federico Perez in Fort Worth, Texas, was outside his home celebrating the New Year with about eight other people, including children, when he was struck in the leg by a stray bullet from celebratory gunfire. He remembers hearing gunfire nearby, then he felt a sudden pain and realized he was bleeding.
A 13-year-old in Alexandria, Louisiana was struck by celebratory gunfire and taken to the hospital for treatment. There is an ongoing investigation.
While walking through a park in Houston, Texas with his family, a 5-year-old boy was injured after being struck by possible celebratory gunfire. According to police, it was likely a pellet gun that injured the boy.
In Kansas City, Missouri, a person was grazed by a bullet from celebratory gunfire that came through a window. And another likely victim of celebratory gunfire was hit while walking on the sidewalk. A police spokesperson said that in the hours around midnight, they received 200 calls reporting gunshots.
A 17-year-old boy in an apartment complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, was struck in the leg by a stray bullet. A police spokesman said a group of people in the front of an apartment building were setting off fireworks and shooting guns in the air. The victim was in the back of the complex and did not see them.
In Birmingham, Alabama, two people were injured by celebratory gunfire. Neither was life-threatening. The police chief and sheriff had released a PSA before the weekend, highlighting the dangers of celebratory gunfire and reminding everyone that it’s against the law. But throughout the county people ignored the warning and fired off guns to usher in the new year.
A woman in Grand Rapids, Michigan sustained a gunshot wound from celebratory gunfire. She was treated at the hospital.
Danny McKenna, 67, was struck by a stray bullet from celebratory gunfire, in Lufkin, Texas, and is recovering in the hospital in critical, but stable condition. There is ongoing investigation into the incident.
And a man near a downtown bar in Cincinnati, Ohio, was struck in the leg by a stray bullet just after midnight, likely a result of celebratory gunfire.
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