‘It’s not celebrating anything’: Chesterfield Police urge people to avoid firing guns into the air ahead of Fourth of July

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Thursday, July 4 marks 11 years since a 7-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet in Chesterfield County.

Brendon Mackey was walking in Sunday Park with his father to watch a fireworks display on July 4, 2013, when he was hit by a bullet . Police believe it was a result of a gun being randomly fired into the air.

“[His death] had a tremendous impact in Chesterfield County. Every year, not a year goes by that I don’t think about Brandon Mackey and his family and what they lost and what they could have had,” Sgt. Jeffrey Hinson, with the Community Engagement Section of the Chesterfield County Police Department, told 8News.

Mackey’s case is still unsolved. His death led to tougher penalties for celebratory gunfire in the Commonwealth. One year after he was killed, Brendon’s Law went into effect.

“If you shoot a weapon in the air, randomly, if you were to strike somebody, it’s a felony. And if you don’t hit anybody, if you if you’re just doing it, it can be a class one misdemeanor up to a year in prison,” Hinson said.

Mackey’s death serves as a reminder of the consequences of firing a weapon into the air. However, Hinson explained that the police department still gets many calls every year about people using gunfire to celebrate major holidays.

“I hate to use the term celebratory gunfire because it’s not celebrating anything. The fact of the matter is, it’s illegal. It’s criminal,” Hinson said.

He urges people to attend Chesterfields’ Annual Fourth of July celebration at the fairgrounds this year instead of picking up a gun.

“It’s just something that’s completely unnecessary. We don’t need to fire weapons in the air to celebrate. There are tons of other ways you can celebrate, and committing a criminal dangerous act is not one of them,” Hinson said.

Anyone with any information about Mackey’s case is asked to contact Chesterfield Police at 804-748-1251.

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