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Fireworks calls keep officers busy on Independence Day

Posted at 11:34 PM, Jul 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-04 23:42:49-04

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Area police departments were busy Wednesday night responding to dozens of fireworks calls.

“July 4th is one of our heaviest days of call volume simply everyone just calling when they hear fireworks,” said Chesterfield County Police Sergeant Chris Cutshaw.

As of 11 p.m., Chesterfield Police had responded to nearly 100 calls.

“We’ll go to a call and unless we come across the person who is literally out there setting the fireworks off you can’t determine where it’s coming from,” said Cutshaw.

“It limits our ability to respond to higher priority calls when officers are out looking for fireworks.”

This July Fourth marked the fifth anniversary of 7-year old Brendon Mackey’s death. Police say Mackey was struck and killed by a stray bullet on his way into Brandermill’s Sunday Park to watch the fireworks July 4, 2013.

“It’s just senseless to shoot a projectile in the air you know it’s going to have to come down you can’t control where it’s going to land and unfortunately that night it ended up striking a young child,” said Cutshaw.

Sergeant Chris Cutshaw

As of 11 p.m., there were no reports of suspected gunfire in Chesterfield County.

One year after Mackey's death, Virginia lawmakers passed “Brendon’s Law," making it illegal to fire a gunshot into the air. If a shot fired into the air injures someone, the shooter could face felony charges.

Police say the stricter penalty may explain the decrease in gunfire calls on Independence Day.

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