HOUSTON – Houston officials are warning residents not to shoot their guns off at midnight to ring in the new year.
The multi-agency effort aims to crackdown on preventable deaths caused by stray bullets and officials are asking people to report if they see or hear celebratory gunfire.
“Beginning tonight, New Year’s Eve, as part of an ongoing initiative, Crime Stoppers of Houston will offer increased rewards for credible reports of celebratory gunfire,” officials wrote in a press release Tuesday. “HPD will respond citywide to such reports and by policy now requires officers to collect ballistics evidence found at all actual crime scenes. The evidence collected is submitted to NIBIN, the national law enforcement ballistics database which matches firearms evidence against each other and to open and unsolved cases around the country.”
By offering cash rewards through Crime Stoppers, officials hope to incentivize tipsters to report dangerous behavior that could lead to people getting hurt or killed.
“People shooting guns into the air will be prosecuted, and the firearms and bullet casings will be tested against the national database to determine if they are connected to any past crime,” said Kim Ogg, Harris County District Attorney.
Officials urge you to call 911 to report celebratory gunfire as it occurs and Crime Stoppers (713-222-TIPS) with any information about the perpetrators. Potential charges include the offense of deadly conduct.