Officials are warning partiers on this New Year's Eve that not only is celebratory gunfire illegal, it can be deadly.
On New Year's Day 2012, 12-year-old Diego Duran of Ruskin was playing in his front yard when he suddenly collapsed.
His sisters and a friend thought he was joking. But when his mother checked him, she found blood coming from Diego's eyes and nose.
Diego had been struck by a stray bullet, likely celebratory gunfire, investigators say.
"There are many ways to celebrate the New Year and the opportunities for positive change that it brings, but firing random shots in the air should not be one of them. This dangerous activity can severely injure or kill a person you have never met, or someone you know and love," said Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings in a statement.
Charges for discharging a firearm in Florida range from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony.
