Crime & Safety
St. Pete Yacht Club Guest Hit by Falling Bullet
The bullet lodged in the 67-year-old woman's wrist. Police said her injuries are a consequence of 'celebratory gunfire.'
Laurie Eberhardt, 67, was standing on the second-floor balcony of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club watching the fireworks from First Night St. Pete, when she felt something strike her wrist.
She looked down and realized she was bleeding.
According to St. Petersburg Police, Eberhardt was struck by a falling bullet shot in celebration of the New Year.
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Eberhardt, according to police, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center, where a bullet was removed from her right wrist, near the base of her pinky finger.
Luckily, she did not suffer any broken bones or have serious damage to her wrist, and she subsequently was released.
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Police said the bullet appeared to be a large-caliber rifle round.
No one at the Yacht Club reported seeing anyone with a gun or hearing any gunshots at the time of the shooting.
According to police, based on the victim's account, the rifle apparently was shot into the sky from some distance away.
Officers and paramedics responded to a call of a person shot at 12:08 a.m. Tuesday.
No suspects have been identified and a location from which the gun might have been fired has not yet been determined, police said.
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