Screenshot via X/@MiamiDade_SO
Audio By Carbonatix
Yes, it is still necessary that New Times reminds you all not to shoot your guns in the air to reign in 2026.
While watching fireworks on New Year’s Eve last year, 10-year-old Yaneliz Munguia was struck and killed by a stray bullet in northwest Miami-Dade County. Around 12:04 a.m., Mungia was lighting fireworks with her family outside their apartment near Allapattah when she suddenly collapsed. Her parents then discovered a gunshot wound to the back of her head. In Fort Lauderdale, 50-year-old Angel Nunes was killed by celebratory gunfire as he celebrated the new year embracing his partner in the backyard. Up in central Florida, 56-year-old grandmother Carmen Rosa Neira Ochoa was killed by a stray bullet as she watched fireworks from her screened-in backyard patio.
Ahead of this year’s New Year’s celebrations, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and the City of Miami Police Department are once again warning of the dangers of celebratory gunfire to prevent history from repeating itself.
“Celebratory gunfire is dangerous, illegal, and can have deadly consequences, ” the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “What goes up must come down. One reckless decision can harm an innocent person and change lives forever. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office remains committed to protecting our community and reminding everyone to celebrate responsibly as we welcome the New Year.”
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The Miami Police Department and the City of Miami are also urging people not to shoot their guns in the air because people continue to forget the basics of gravity.
“We urge everyone to skip celebratory gunfire this New Year’s Eve,” the Instagram post reads. “The tradition of firing bullets into the air is a dangerous practice. In [a] densely populated city like ours, you’ll never know where the bullet will land.”
Miami-Dade County officials have issued this reminder and begged people to celebrate safely ahead of celebrations on July 4 and New Year’s Eve for more than 25 years as part of the “One Bullet Kills the Party” campaign, which launched after a person was shot at a New Year’s Eve party in Overtown in 1997. Over the years, Miami officials have partnered with celebrities like Pitbull to raise awareness about the dangers of celebratory gunfire. Despite the reminders, unfortunately and tragically, stray bullets are still injuring and killing people during these celebrations.
