Another Incident Caused by New Year's Eve Stupidity

[andrsnsm]

RUSKIN, Fla. – Authorities say they believe celebratory New Year's gunfire falling from the sky critically injured a 12-year-old Tampa Bay-area boy.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said the boy's family was sitting outside their Ruskin home around 1 a.m. Sunday and watching fireworks.
Sheriff's office spokesman Larry McKinnon said the boy's mother saw him fall to the ground, bleeding from his nose and eyes. She drove him to a hospital, where doctors determined he had suffered a gunshot wound from a bullet that entered the top of his head.
McKinnon said the boy remains hospitalized in Tampa in critical condition with the bullet still in his head.
Detectives say no one nearby had been firing a gun. They say the boy apparently was struck by celebratory gunfire that could have been fired miles away.

 

[reddog1]

Terrible, Hope he recovers.

 

[OKWalker]

So stupid.

 

[criticalbass]

I live in a fairly nice neighborhood in NW OKC. At midnight, I at first thought someone was celebrating with firecrackers. Then it became obvious to me that it was a shotgun. I have heard literally hundreds of thousands of shotgun blasts (old skeet shooter/referee), and am 99% sure that's what I was hearing. Didn't last long, and couldn't get s solid direction on it.

Some parts of our country have a lot of "celebratory firing," and it is very popular in the Middle East. Before I knew the dangers I couldn't afford to waste ammo, and though I can now afford it, I have concluded that it's dangerous and stupid.

I am a bit surprised that a presumably spent bullet, falling at terminal velocity, would penetrate a skull. Usually the injuries from this sort of behavior result from non vertical firing. It is possible that the child had inclined his head and that the bullet came in from an angle far from vertical.

Not trying to minimize the PO's point--this happened as a result of someone being really stupid. CB

 

[Bhop]

if u feel the absolute neccessity to fire ur gun at midnight at least fire intothe ground

 

[vvvvvvv]

I am a bit surprised that a presumably spent bullet, falling at terminal velocity, would penetrate a skull. Usually the injuries from this sort of behavior result from non vertical firing. It is possible that the child had inclined his head and that the bullet came in from an angle far from vertical.

http://library-resources.cqu.edu.au/JFS/PDF/vol_27/iss_4/JFS274820894.pdf

http://library-resources.cqu.edu.au/JFS/PDF/vol_19/iss_3/JFS193740585.pdf

 

[Blinocac200sx]

If it goes straight up and comes straight down, then, yes it will be at terminal velocity, and might have trouble penetrating a skull depending on projectile weight. But it is incredibly difficult to get a bullet aligned to go perfectly straight up. Seeing how the folks in the story were unaware of any gun fire, I would imagine the angle this came in at was enough that it still carried more than terminal velocity.

 

[HMFIC]

I'm sickened by this.

Indifference or Ignorance, either way there is just no excuse.

 

[bmwguy25]

The last thing I want to do while drinking is shoot a gun in the air. OR shoot at all. I never understood that, what comes up must come down!.

 

[John X]

So sad, and so unnecessary.