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Lithia home damaged by celebratory gunfire
Briona Arradondo reports
LITHIA, Fla. - A bullet from celebratory gunfire pierced through the ceiling of a Lithia woman’s house, narrowly missing her while she watched television on New Year’s Eve.
It’s a day Linda Holland, 72, won’t ever forget.
“I was just sitting here watching television, and then I heard this big explosion or that’s the way I describe it,” said Holland.
Around 10 p.m. sheetrock fell at her feet, and what she found in the same room was even more alarming. A bullet came through her roof and landed on the floor in her living room.
Holland said she called Hillsborough County deputies to her home on Thompson Road near Bryant Road.
“They came out and investigated, and they said yes it was a bullet that had went into the roof and had come out into my living room,” said Holland. She now must deal with unexpected roof repairs.
She said deputies told her the damage came from a .45-caliber bullet that was likely the result of celebratory gunfire.
“It was just a few feet from where I was sitting, and it could have been a lot worse,” she said. “But thank God it just did damage to my home.”
Celebratory gunfire is dangerous and against the law.
“Year after year people think well nothing happened, so it’s okay to do it again. But you never know when it’s going to take a life,” she said.
Holland said she’s thankful it did not take hers, but she wants the person responsible to come forward.
“Probably they do not realize what they’re doing and the potential damage that can be done not only to property but to people. You could kill somebody,” she said.
Holland and her family said they also want anyone who saw a person firing shots into the air to call deputies.