HOUSTON — 2021 began with a bang in Houston -- but not from just fireworks.
Houston Police said an 8-year-old boy was shot in the hand at an Acres Homes-area apartment complex while sleeping in his bed.
"Preliminary information suggests that the parents put the boy to sleep a little bit earlier in the night, and around 11:50 p.m., a stray bullet came through the wall,” said HPD Lt. Emanuel Pavel.
Pavel responded to numerous celebratory gunfire calls himself. Those included a house on Fulton Street where police said an intoxicated man shot his own 24-year-old granddaughter while ringing in the new year.
“I heard about at least 20 shots," said neighbor Jorge Martinez. "Somewhere in different hours, like between 10 (p.m.) and 12:30 (a.m.).”
Fortunately, those shooting weren’t deadly. But celebratory gunfire ended beloved nurse Phillipa Ashford’s life last New Year’s Eve and remains a problem year after year.
"Every single year," said Texas Gun Sense spokesman Ed Scruggs. "It’s maddening.”
Texas Gun Sense is nonprofit dedicated to reducing gun violence.
"We don’t understand what’s so difficult for people to understand about this," Scruggs said. "That shooting a firearm into the air, the bullet comes down somewhere.”
There have been efforts to classify celebratory gunfire as a specific crime beyond deadly conduct or reckless endangerment.
But even Texas Rep. Mando Martinez, who was shot in the head by random gunfire a few News Year’s Eves ago, hasn’t been able to get it passed.
"Right now, whenever you bring the subject up, if the legislation mentions guns or firearms or anything about the use of firearms, it’s controversial,” Scruggs said.
Meanwhile, many advocates hope education and public outcry can help this potentially deadly tradition cease by the next celebration.