Law enforcement officials urged people not to ring in 2023 with dangerous celebratory gunfire yet those warnings were ignored.
A family in Aldine held hands and said a prayer minutes before the start of the new year. On Monday, they’ve credited that prayer for protecting them from the path of a stray bullet.
“My sister-in-law was actually sitting right here, and the bullet went right there,” said Gloria, who showed KPRC 2 the damage a stray bullet caused. “Through this window. This double window, through the TV, and [it] went across and stopped at that wall.”
Gloria said minutes before midnight on New Year’s Eve the family was outside together in the backyard of the Nicar Street home.
She said she returned to her room to change 30 minutes later leaving her three-year-old niece and a 14-year-old teen watching TV. Cell phone video captured the teen dancing in front of the same TV that the bullet would later pierce.
Yesenia Martinez, the toddler’s mom, credits the teen for putting her sleepy toddler down for a nap, causing the bullet to fly over their heads.
“My baby almost got killed last night. We don’t even do that. We don’t shoot guns. We’re celebrating. We’re just trying to enjoy our time, and just because you want to be irresponsible, my baby almost got killed. People don’t think about that,” Martinez said.
Martinez said there were also about 40 relatives gathered outside in the backyard around the time.
In southwest Houston, police said a 12-year-old was grazed in the neck on New Year’s Day by a stray bullet at a West Bellfort apartment complex. Two days prior, city leaders warned about the dangers of celebratory gunfire.
Crime Stoppers of Houston also pledged $5,000 awards for tips leading to arrests. Houston police made five celebratory gunfire arrests in 2023.
“These people have been doing it for so long. It’s common for us in that area to hear gunshots and fireworks on New Year’s. Never thought that would happen to us,” Martinez said.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office tells KPRC 2 they’re investigating this incident as criminal mischief.