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'Woo-hoo!' and 'Bang! Bang!' make New Year's busy for police
By MELODY McDONALD
mjmcdonald@star-telegram.com
FORT WORTH -- Five people were arrested New Year's Eve after police caught them shooting guns into the air, a dangerous and illegal activity that often keeps police from responding to more urgent calls on one of the busiest nights of the year.
Lt. Dean Sullivan, a Fort Worth Police spokesman, said Fort Worth police received 164 calls reporting "shots fired" between 11:30 p.m. New Year's Eve and 3:30 a.m. New Year's Day. There were no reports of injuries from the gunshots, but at least two vehicles, a house and the roof of a church were damaged by gunfire, Sullivan said.
Here are the details, as reported by police, on the arrests of the five people who are now facing gun charges in connection with discharging a firearm in the city:
Ross Avenue
A 31-year-old man was arrested after officers said they saw him standing in an alley in the 3200 block of Ross Avenue, shooting into the sky. As police approached, the man jumped the fence of a residence and tried to go into a house.
As officers approached the residence, a dog advanced on an officer and was shot by police, Sullivan said.
No people were injured, and the suspect, identified as Alfonso Guerrero, was arrested and taken to jail on a charge of illegally discharging a firearm, a Class B misdemeanor that carries a maximum punishment of 180 days in the county jail and a $2,000 fine.
An internal investigation will be conducted into the shooting of the dog.
West Bolt Street
A 30-year-old man was arrested for shooting into the air after he was caught by officers investigating reports of shots being fired in the 1000 block of West Bolt Street.
Sullivan said police were canvassing the area when they heard shots. As officers approached a house, they saw a suspect fire a .357-caliber revolver into the air, 40 feet from the officers, Sullivan said.
The officers drew their weapons and ordered the suspect, identified as Valente Morales, to drop his gun. The gun was later determined to have been stolen out of Arlington, Sullivan said.
Officers also seized a box of ammunition that had been set on a table in the back yard of the home and collected at least 14 shell casings.
Pafford Street
Three men were arrested after officers found them shooting several guns into the sky behind a house in the 700 block of Pafford Street.
Police said that an officer investigating a "shots fired" call in the area saw one of the men shooting a shotgun in the air. A short time later, he saw the suspect hand the shotgun to a man, who fired two shots into the air. A third suspect was observed shooting another gun just as police approached and attempted to take them into custody, Sullivan said.
One of the men tried to flee inside the house but was quickly captured, Sullivan said.
Police seized two semi-automatic 9 mm pistols; a .22-caliber revolver; and one 20-gauge pump-action shotgun from behind the home. Manuel Cardona Jr., 35, Ricky Barela Jr., 27, and Anthony Devalle, 36, all convicted felons, each face a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison.
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seeker_two wrote:I've wondered if, under Texas law, you would be justified in drawing your weapon to stop someone from firing in the air. Given the possibility of injury and the fact that you'd be making a "citizen's arrest" of an armed person, I wonder how that would play out if the police arrived.......
Just curious.....
Discharging a firearm within city limits is usually a misdemeanor in most cities and towns. And disturbing the peace and public endangerment could fall into this category, too. Plus, if I'm close enough to witness the event, I'm close enough to be threatened by the falling bullets. Attempted Assault would be a stretch, but it could be listed as a charge.txinvestigator wrote:seeker_two wrote:I've wondered if, under Texas law, you would be justified in drawing your weapon to stop someone from firing in the air. Given the possibility of injury and the fact that you'd be making a "citizen's arrest" of an armed person, I wonder how that would play out if the police arrived.......
Just curious.....
A citizen can only arrest for felonies committed in his presence or view, and misdemeanor crimes against the public peace. What would you arrest a person for who fired a gun into the air?
150fps doesn't sound like much. There were news reports of bullets going through roofs and into living areas of homes; a 7-10 gram projectile that deforms on impact travelling at about 15% of its muzzle velocity would not do a lot of damage. However, you're exactly right; fire a bullet at 45 degrees and it retains about 70% of its horizontal velocity even if the vertical component is reduced to terminal velocity.seamusTX wrote: It boiled down to this: If the bullet goes straight up, it comes back down at terminal velocity, which is about 150 feet per second. That's fast enough to cause minor injury, and possibly to kill a baby if it hit in the worst possible location.
It appears to be a very urban thing. I think this is most prevelant is very bad parts of town. I am in a planned community with 4,000 homes. Did not hear a single firearm, even though I suspect my neighbors are armed to the teeth.dustyb wrote:I live near a small town, with no ordinances against discharging a firearm in the city limits, and still to the best of my knowledge, no one brought the New Year in with gunfire, or ever has. It must be an "urban" thing. People still shoot fireworks here (no ordinance against that either).