New Year stray-bullet
tally: 17, no injuries

By Jaymes K. Song
Star-Bulletin

Although more than a week has passed since the New Year's holiday, cases from the celebration still file into the Honolulu Police Department.

Police have fielded 17 reckless-endangering cases after Oahu residents reported guns fired into the air, damaging cars, homes and businesses.

Luckily, no injuries were reported from stray bullets.

Waipahu accounted for seven of the cases. Kalihi and Ewa Beach had a few, and the Windward side had two.

Residents reported finding bullet holes or the actual bullet in their ceilings, walls, roofs and cars, said Detective Letha DeCaires, the CrimeStoppers coordinator.

One woman was in her living room with several children when a bullet whizzed by and damaged a painting, DeCaires said.

"This is not the Wild West anymore," she said. "John Wayne is not down the street."

Police want people to know that firing a gun into the air is a felony criminal offense and very dangerous.

Police say such cases are difficult to investigate. They need the public to report the shooting immediately to 911 or make an anonymous call to CrimeStoppers.

DeCaires said she realizes the shooters are probably having fun and not intentionally trying to injure anyone.

But they have to realize that bullets come back down, and could possibly hit a child in the head, she said. "They know better, but they're still reckless," DeCaires said.

On New Year's Day 1998, two children were injured by stray bullets: A 7-year-old girl in Ewa Beach was hit in the foot and a 15-year-old Wahiawa boy was shot in the arm.