Falling bullet hits man in groin outside St. Pete restaurant

ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - You would think most would know: Firing a gun, randomly, in the air is a bad idea.

What goes up, must come down, and police in St. Petersburg say on New Year’s Eve, a bullet landed into a man’s groin sending him to the hospital.

Investigators with St. Pete police say a group of friends were standing around a high-top table outside Cassis restaurant on Beach Drive.  They were celebrating New Year’s Eve when, around 10:30, one of the men collapsed.

Dan Casper witnessed the man collapse and says 911 was called and his friend was rushed to a hospital for surgery. 

“It’s unnerving, in today’s society, you have to tell people that if you shoot a gun up into the air, the bullet has to come down somewhere,” Casper said.  “If you’re not smart enough to figure that out, you shouldn’t own a gun.”

Casper says the man is recovering physically although he’s shaken mentally.  

St. Pete detectives say the bullet could have been fired hundreds of yards, or even miles away making it very hard for them to make an arrest. 

Police say they are running forensics on the bullet.