Conyers police fight dangerous celebratory gunfire as Fourth of July nears

CONYERS, Ga. - The Fourth of July holiday is fast approaching, bringing with it an annual family tradition of food, festivities, and fireworks; however, some gun owners may be tempted to open fire into the air, an act that could end dangerously. 

The Conyers Police Department wants to put an end to that hazardous celebratory gunfire. A spokesperson for the department says they have seen a spike in random gunfire. Starting on Thursday, police officers will canvas their community to warn people of the dangers of indiscriminate gunfire. 

Jaylin Jordan lives in the Forest Villas subdivision of Conyers. He says some people will aimlessly fire off their guns in his neighborhood. "It’s actually been quite frequent lately," Jordan said. "There were a couple of shots going off." 

Jordan is a dad who worries about his children’s safety. "You just don’t want them running around the neighborhood, not knowing what’s going on," Jordan said. 

Police say random gunfire has spiked around the city since last year. "About a 20% increase," said Lt. Quintavious Garcia. 

Garcia says people will fire rounds into the woods and into the air. Then the old cliché of physics comes into play. "Once that bullet goes up, it has to come back down. You never know where that bullet’s going to go," Garcia said. 

Police are especially concerned about celebratory gunfire around the Fourth of July. So, they’ll pound the pavement in Forest Villas to warn residents of the dangers of random gunfire. "It can end up in someone’s residence. It could end up in someone’s baby crib," Garcia said. 

Police will hand out free gunlocks and flyers offering rewards to people who come forward with information leading to an arrest of someone firing off indiscriminately. "We usually start off at $2,000 and from there go up," Garcia said. "We want to save that life before a gun is fired off." 

Conyers police recently arrested a convicted felon for randomly firing his gun. He was charged with reckless conduct. 

Police will go around to several other neighborhoods in the coming weeks.