Falling bullet hits toddler after fireworks show in Independence

KPTV ^ | July 7, 2023 | FOX 12 Staff

[hiho hiho]

INDEPENDENCE Ore. (KPTV) - A 2-year-old child was injured in the leg by a falling bullet on Tuesday in Independence and police are looking for information, according to the Independence Police Department.

At about 10:30 p.m., the toddler’s family was walking to their car after watching an Independence Day fireworks show, pulling the toddler in a wagon. According to the parents, the toddler began screaming for no clear reason. As they tried to comfort the toddler, the parents discovered a puncture wound in their leg.

The toddler was taken to the hospital, where medical providers discovered the wound had been caused by a bullet.

Police said their initial investigation suggested that the bullet fell from the sky and did not appear to have been intentional.

The toddler’s injury was treated and they are expected to make a full recovery.

The Independence Police Department said firing a gun within city limits is illegal and “extremely dangerous.”

“Firearm safety rules should always be followed, and a firearm should never be fired randomly into the air,” according to police.

The investigation is ongoing and police ask anyone aware of a person firing a gun into the air around this time, or have any other information regarding this incident, to email Sergeant Gilbert at gilbert.lyle@ci.independence.or.us or call 503-837-1107.

[Lurker]

Years ago a man sitting next to us at a 4th of July fireworks show suddenly grabbed his chest and fell over. Everyone thought it was a heart attack until we saw the blood.

Some idiot half a mile away fired a .44 magnum and the poor man caught the bullet. He later died. The perp was caught and sentenced to 10 years for manslaughter.

L

[Magnum44]

Police said their initial investigation suggested that the bullet fell from the sky and did not appear to have been intentional.

It just fell from the sky...

[hanamizu]

The toddler’s injury was treated and they are expected...

---

Apparently the correct use of pronouns is no longer taught...

[Dilbert San Diego]

Yes I noticed that too. The writers of the story intentionally went out of their way to avoid telling us if this toddler is a boy or a girl.

[Magnum44]

Its a safe pronoun, man. Come on!

[Deaf Smith]

1). puncture in “their” leg

2) bullet fell from the sky

[Magnum44]

Hey, it could happen.

[Brilliant]

Good. Anyone who just fires a gun into the air randomly without thinking about where the slug will land deserves jail time.

[Buck-Toothed Knuckle Dragger]

Interesting writing style, with pains taken to avoid mention of gender. Is that reflexive these days? I even saw ‘their’ in there.

[AndyTheBear]

My understanding from videos of experiments on falling bullets was that a bullet dropping straight down at terminal velocity is not likely to cause much of a wound. However a bullet that is fired in an 45 degree arc or the like could be rather deadly as it still has some of its faster than terminal velocity force in the horizontal direction and is more likely to be spinning like a football correctly thrown through the air rather than tumbling around like a falling bullet.

So if it punctured the poor child's leg then perhaps it was not so much of a falling bullet as a stray bullet.

[one guy in new jersey]

Wow did his number ever come up.

[blackdog]

Emptying my pool cleaner robot finds me with handgun slugs several times a year. 9mm leads the count, followed by 38's, and 40. Our church just had to replace shingles. My roof has a few doinks too.

A very bad problem in Memphis.

[Bounced2X]

My understanding from videos of experiments on falling bullets....

That lines up with what I've read. Still wouldn't want to under one.

[Levy78]

Crazy!

[Magnum44]

My understanding from videos of experiments on falling bullets was that a bullet dropping straight down at terminal velocity is not likely to cause much of a wound. However a bullet that is fired in an 45 degree arc or the like could be rather deadly

Your understanding is correct. The vertical velocity goes to zero on the way up and is limited by drag on the way back down. The horizontal velocity sees some drag but not enough to really slow it to non-lethal in the few seconds its flying.

If a true vertical shot could be lethal, then you would hear all sorts of stories about people being killed by people tossing pennies off the top of the empire state building and such.

[Deaf Smith]

First thought was that a person or group was watching the fireworks show from a hot air balloon. One in the group had a loose bullet in his shirt pocket from the reloading session his wife interrupted to go on this spur of the moment balloon-fireworks show outing.

When he leaned over the gondola to check their direction of travel by way of streetlight navigation vs the North Star, the bullet fell from his pocket onto the gender confused kid being pushed by the woke parents of unknown sex.

[Magnum44]

Hooked me with the first sentence, then almost reeled me in. LoL

[ConservativeInPA]

Is the a Muslin population in Independence?

[desertsolitaire]

Is Memphis dangerous now? I thought it used to be quite nice?