STAFFORD, Texas – Minutes into the New Year and Antonio Flores was left scrambling for his life.
The police officer was attempting to avoid a potential killer. “I hear a swoosh, right? And I immediately drop down to the ground,” said Flores outside his home in Stafford.
There was no sound of gunfire, he said. “You just hear the glass break and the swoosh. That’s it,” said Flores.
The lone round Flores says was the result of nearby celebratory gunfire.
“This is not normal. This has never happened in the 23 years of being here,” said Flores.
Indeed, the firepower this New Year’s Eve was different.
“All night long, it sounded like a war zone in this area. You could hear handguns, and you could hear semi-automatics, and they were going off and off and off,” said Flores.
One round ultimately struck his front window. A few feet upstairs, his teen daughter was asleep.
He says the shot literally made impact too close to home.
“Had that round came any further, it would have came into her bed. Right past that window is her bed,” said Flores.
Flores admits the entire experience has left him and his family frightened and already they are taking preventative measures for next year.
“We’ve never had to do this but now we are planning on not being home for New Year’s Eve, and that is pretty sad,” said Flores.
As for a way to deter it from happening to others, “More patrol. More active patrol in these neighborhoods,” said Flores.