Police Are Calling For Safety After 13-Year-Old Hit By Falling Bullet

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Police in Hammond are reminding people to be safe and not fire guns into the sky during 4th of July celebrations after a 13-year-old was hit in the head by a falling bullet over the weekend.

A group of kids were playing basketball outside on Saturday evening, in the 7300 block of Harrison Avenue “when one of the children suddenly fell down,” according to Lt. Steve Kellogg. Witnesses thought it may have been a seizure and immediately called for an ambulance.

“At the hospital, it was learned that the child was struck from a falling bullet that was shot into the sky by someone in the nearby community,” police said.

The 13-year-old boy was flown to Comer’s Children’s Hospital in Chicago, where he remains in critical condition, police said Monday.

Police believe “that this bullet was most likely fired into the air like a firework,” Kellogg said.

Anyone with information about the South Hammond area shooting off a firearm Saturday evening is asked to call Detective Lt. Mark Tharp at 219-852-2988 or Detective Sgt. Mark Ferry at 219-852-2991.

“Unfortunately, this is a common action by many people who own guns in our city and they need to know this action has consequences and will be dealt with severely by the Hammond Police Department,” according to Kellogg.

Police ask that people keep Fourth of July celebrations to “use of legal fireworks only” and “remind the public that it is never legal to discharge a firearm within city limits.”

If you believes that someone is firing a firearm during celebrations, police ask people to “immediately call 911,” Kellogg said.

“In the aftermath of this past weekend’s tragic events, the Hammond Indiana Police Department is asking for the public’s help in preventing future incidents,” Kellogg said.