Any other cities with this New Year tradition??

[michiganstud]

Every year in my city the pillars of the community decide its a great idea to shoot their firearms into the air at the stroke of midnight. They like to ring in the new year I guess. It is so bad that the department pulls all patrol vehicles off the road from 2350 to about 0015.


Well this year it finally happened. Someone was shot and killed from a stray bullet.

The man was lighting fireworks with his son and next thing he knew he was struck in the shoulder with a bullet. The bullet traveled downward, hitting his heart and two other organs. He is critical but alive at this time.


Is this a tradition in your cities as well? Anyone ever killed?

[Valor55]

It seems that every December there are news stories about people hit and killed around the country the previous January and how everyone wants people to stop shooting in the air. I'm sure it happened somewhere that someone died this weekend from that somewhere in the country...

[NOLACOP]

Every year in my city the pillars of the community decide its a great idea to shoot their firearms into the air at the stroke of midnight. They like to ring in the new year I guess. It is so bad that the department pulls all patrol vehicles off the road from 2350 to about 0015.


Well this year it finally happened. Someone was shot and killed from a stray bullet.

The man was lighting fireworks with his son and next thing he knew he was struck in the shoulder with a bullet. The bullet traveled downward, hitting his heart and two other organs. He is critical but alive at this time.


Is this a tradition in your cities as well? Anyone ever killed?

Happens every year here in new orleans. Years ago, when i was in patrol, i made it a habit to park underneath a concrete parking garage to play it safe. I know for sure we had one civilian get struck by a falling bullet this year. Usually numerous, with a fatality once in awhile.

About 8-10 years ago, we had a female tourist get struck downtown outside the french quarter while she was watching fireworks, who died.

[retdetsgt]

Here only in the ghetto. Most of their ancestors came up from the South during WWII to work in Kaiser's shipyards. They brought a lot of traditions with them, including that.

The rest of the city doesn't do that.

[Stan Switek]

We have had police cars hit by falling rounds. About 10 years ago I was working a huge celebration downtown with about a hundred other cops. This civilian lady next to me goes lady next to me goes down screaming hit by a stray round. One year they wanted us on foot in the hood going after shooters. My squad spent about 30 minuts pinned down behind a block wall because of the gunfire. Now everyone gets their kevlar helmets on without having to be told. Most of the guys will briefly lay low in a parking structure if possible. We have so many calls of shots fired, we only dispatch units on calls where a shooter can be seen. The others are broadcast as info only. The entire SWAT team is out also looking for shooters. It's war.

[Redman]

I'm sure the ACLU will be along to defend this tradition. :rolleyes:

I can't think of a bigger form of jackassery. It amazes me to think about the odds of getting hit by a falling bullet, then to think about how many people actually get killed. Too bad they don't come straight down, it would then become the most clear cut case of darwinism ever.

[Jynkxxie]

Every year in my city the pillars of the community decide its a great idea to shoot their firearms into the air at the stroke of midnight. They like to ring in the new year I guess. It is so bad that the department pulls all patrol vehicles off the road from 2350 to about 0015.


Well this year it finally happened. Someone was shot and killed from a stray bullet.

The man was lighting fireworks with his son and next thing he knew he was struck in the shoulder with a bullet. The bullet traveled downward, hitting his heart and two other organs. He is critical but alive at this time.


Is this a tradition in your cities as well? Anyone ever killed?

I thought you said he was shot and killed? :confused:

Anywho, as a rule, I usually head for less populated domain for New Years, because it goes something like this for ours as well.

[michiganstud]

I thought you said he was shot and killed? :confused:

Anywho, as a rule, I usually head for less populated domain for New Years, because it goes something like this for ours as well.

Yes, it was a typo. Another user saw that too :p

[APDSarge]

It's a popular past time down here, New Years, 4th of July, ground hog day. Any excuse to go in the backyard and let loose. (Some are full auto)

We always head to underground parking garages. Just about every year there is a person struck by a stray round down here.

[Babysmamadrama]

Yeah, its like a mad minute where I work at and at home.

We took only one bullet induced property damage on the day after but I was off that night and stayed awake listening to the free fire zone at midnight. Folks are just plain nuts. Some guy was even out there with a chain saw revving it up.

When I am on we just stay in the station and only go out if absolutely necessary.

[Norm357]

Atlanta sounds like Beruit in the bad old days.

[Jay7376]

We normally take cover under a bridge or just go into the PD around midnight. This year I even heard some automatic fire coming out of the ghetto, which is pretty rare around here. :eek:

Someone must have got it for Christmas.

[Apollo8138]

This is a big issue in many cities in Puerto Rico. It seems that every year someone is killed by a stray bullet. There have been instances where children have been killed in their backyards while lighting or watching fireworks go off. This past holiday officials took out ads in newspapers, tv, and even radio. They even went as far as recruiting local musicians to spread the message.

[pmfc]

Sounds like a shootout around here too. Lots of semi-automatic gunfire, shotgun blasts, and even fully automatic gunfire. It's amazing no one got hit here. God must be looking out for the law-abiding citizens in my town.

[LadyHollman]

We get lots of nice gunfire from a wide variety of calibre's. Every year at the stroke of midnight...like clockwork. You can imagine the amount of destruction of property reports from that one night; bullet holes galore.

Quite a few times people have been struck by falling rounds from who knows where and died as a result. Last year, a member caught a round in a shootout trying to arrest the gun toting celebrators. He was greatly outnumbered and outgunned.

As Reb Tevier said, "Tradition!!!"