The 4th of July also is a popular time for celebratory gunfire-- an act that could have dangerous consequences.
A young man who was hit by a stray bullet in the head has been sharing how he's been dealing with the effects.
Diego Duran was 12 when he was struck with a 45 caliber bullet as he was ringing in the 2012 new year. Doctors say a difference of even five or six millimeters would have killed him.
He described in a PSA that he was watching fireworks with his family in Ruskin when he all of the sudden collapsed. His mom started the non-profit Bullet Free Sky.
“They didn't know what happened until they flipped me over," Duran said. "It felt like that feeling when you hit your funny bone, that tingling but throughout your whole body.”
Diego has since graduated from Automotive Service Technology in November. His family was very proud and shared a photo on Facebook.
Hillsborough County deputies are able to use a shot spotter to find those who fire guns into the air. The shot spotter is a network that utilizes 80 sensors strategically placed across the county which can differentiate between fireworks and someone shooting a gun.
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