LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Celebratory gunfire ringing in the new year kept hundreds of people awake into the early morning on Jan. 1.
Near Crums Lane and Cane Run Road a woman was letting her dog out when she heard a loud "bang" before she felt pain in her shoulder.
Louisville Metro Police said it's likely she was grazed by a celebratory bullet.
The loud noise always spills over into the early morning hours of Jan. 1 every year.
"It started about 11 (p.m.), and it carried on to 2 in the morning," said Gerald Hignite.
Hignite, who lives in Old Louisville, said the gunfire kept him and his family awake all night.
"Midnight is midnight. You know, that's fine. But it's kind of rough sometimes when you get small kids and what not," he said. "My son was scared. He has autism."
LMPD said there were 95 reported calls for shots fired from 11 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday. But the department believes there were many more unreported celebratory shots.
"Lots of people shoot their guns off. It makes my dog bark a lot," Donald Manning, a Shively resident, said.
Shooting a gun in the air within the Louisville Metro is a violation of a city ordinance passed by Metro Council in 2022, making random gunfire illegal in the city.
It's illegal to fire a gun that's not on a properly licensed gun range. People also can't be within 300 feet of a public road or alley or fire in the direction of a building with people inside.
LMPD warns violating the ordinance is a misdemeanor, and you could face up to a year in jail and up to a $5,000 fine.
Not only is celebratory gunfire against the law, it's also dangerous.
"When those people shoot their guns up in the air, the bullets got to come down somewhere," Manning said.
People told WDRB they kept their children away from windows as they rang in the New Year.
Another said their neighborhood sounded like a war zone.
"If you're going to shoot, shoot in the ground, you know. But still, you still got gas lines and water lines, you got to worry about when you do that too, you know, or just buy some firecrackers across the river and bring them back," Hignite said.
Empty bullet casings were also found in the parking lot of WDRB's studios in downtown Louisville, likely from celebratory gunfire.
Related Stories:
- Louisville Police investigating after woman shot near Cane Run Road on New Year's Eve
- New Year’s Eve gunfire could lead to jail time and fines, Louisville police say
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