Local News–
There, we would take in the scene, bit by bit. The smell of cooking hot dogs would merge with the piercing sound of a dog barking, all working in concert to draw your attention to the mess of mangled flesh that used to be someone’s hand only a few minutes prior. Tragically, fireworks are far from the only way to sustain serious injuries during the holidays. Nearly every year, we would also respond to calls where someone had been seriously injured by celebratory gunfire. In 2022 alone, the Harris County Sheriff’s OfficeFor every one of these calls, we had to console grieving family as they watched us wrap their loved one up in gauze and do our best to keep them alive, all because one person got too trigger-happy.
But the fact of the matter is, these calls impact more people than most might realize. Harris County is large, and emergency services are frequently placed under high amounts of strain.