Lawmaker weighs in after man hit by celebratory NYE gunfire in Bastrop Co.
BASTROP COUNTY, Texas - The Bastrop County sheriff is warning people about celebratory gunfire after a person was hit by a bullet that came down after midnight on New Year's.
BCSO says a man was hit on his upper back in the area of Riddle Road in Cedar Creek.
The bullet appeared to have dropped out of the sky, and there was no gunfire in the immediate area. The victim was treated at the hospital and released.
"We have a good ending to this story, but it could've very easily been something else. What if it had been a child? What if it had been someone who was not as structurally sound as he was?" Sheriff Maurice Cook said.
BCSO says they received 47 calls for service about celebratory gunfire during New Year celebrations.
"We had extra deputies on duty that night, but still with the call volume coming in from other things, and add this call volume, it was crazy," Cook said.
"It's very disturbing. I mean, because as much as you try and educate the public, you have some very irresponsible individuals," State Rep. Armando Martinez (D-Weslaco) said.
It's an issue that hits home for him. He was hit by celebratory gunfire on New Year's in 2017.
"I didn't lose any sight or any of my sensory and [I'm] very, very lucky to be here," he said.
State Rep. Armando Martinez was hit by celebratory gunfire in 2017.
Martinez is continuing to push for legislation that makes celebratory gunfire a felony. He says right now, it's a misdemeanor in municipalities with more than one million people. In places with less than that, there is no law.
"What goes up must come down. And when it does, it could have a potential tragic event. We want to make sure we impose something that would not allow that to happen," Martinez said.
Cook says the person responsible in the Bastrop County case would probably be charged with aggravated assault because someone was hit.
However, if you're just firing into the air, "we need to add that to the law that says if you indiscriminately fire into the air, then that should be a violation of the law, because you can't predict where that bullet's going to come down," he said.
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BCSO has a tipline where you can report illegal shooting.
"If we can develop a pattern overtime and so forth, we'll actually send someone in the area to sit and see if they can identify who's doing it, if routine enough," Cook said.
Ultimately, the goal is to make sure no one else gets hurt.
"Celebratory is worse than any kind of gunfire we have in the county because there is no target, there is no prediction on where that bullet will come down," Cook said. "Be a good neighbor. Be a good citizen. Treat your neighbors like you want to be treated, and don't be indiscriminately shooting whether it's on New Year's or whether it's any other time. Shooting at night and recklessly shooting should not be done here."
You can report illegal shooting at illegal.shooting@co.bastrop.tx.us or 512-549-5120.