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4-year-old killed by celebratory bullet (in church with his mother)
ajc.com ^ | 1-1-10 | Alexis Stevens

Posted on 01/01/2010 4:46:43 PM PST by rawhide

A 4-year-old boy attending a New Year's Eve church service with his family was killed when a stray bullet came through the roof, hitting him in the head.

The boy, Marquel Peters, was sitting beside his mother in the sanctuary during an intermission, said Lloyd Phipps, senior pastor at the Church of God of Prophecy near Decatur.

About 350 people were gathered in the DeKalb County church on Covington Drive, waiting for a concert to begin at 12:30 a.m. Friday, Phipps said.

"We heard a loud pop, which we now assume was when the bullet came through the roof," Phipps said.

The child, who had been playing a video game moments before the incident, fell to the floor.

"He appeared to be unconscious at first, and then he started crying," Phipps said.

Phipps said the church members prayed for the child, and continued with the planned concert, believing the child would survive his injury.

The child was rushed to a hospital, where he later died, according to Officer Jason Gagnon with DeKalb police.

The pastor and the parishioners where still in the church when they learned of the child's death about 3:30 a.m., Phipps said. He said during the concert, the boy's family kept him updated on the child's condition, which he believed was improving.

Investigators returned to the church later Friday, where they discovered the point of entry for the bullet: in the roof of the church. Phipps said police believe someone fired a celebratory shot into the air, and it went through the roof on its way down.

"It's one of those things that you just cannot make any sense out of," Phipps said. "This lady took her kid to church, which is the right thing to do. And her son got killed because of someone’s irresponsible behavior."

(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Georgia
KEYWORDS: banglist; bullet; celebratorygunfire; church; nye; shooting; toddler
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To: CAluvdubya

Are you thinking the bullet was shot from an airplane?


61 posted on 01/01/2010 5:39:24 PM PST by jonrick46 (We're being water boarded with the sewage of Marxism.)
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To: CharlesWayneCT
did the story say the bullet actually penetrated his head?

I don't think so but agree that a bullet needs to keep its ballistic characteristics to do what bullets are supposed to do. On the show, the ones they fired straight up lost their energy and only fell sideways at terminal velocity. They never tested any angled shots.
62 posted on 01/01/2010 5:39:54 PM PST by cripplecreek (Seniors, the new shovel ready project under socialized medicine.)
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To: GingisK

You don’t know much about ballistics. All projectiles start slowing down the instant they leave the gun barrel. There is substantial loss of velocity in only 100 yards for all handgun rounds. A 48 degree trajectory is maximum range and that is quite a bit further than 100 yards even for a handgun round. more like a thousand yards, with peak altitude occuring about 600 yards down range and about 600 yards up.


63 posted on 01/01/2010 5:40:25 PM PST by mamelukesabre (Veni, Vidi, Vicki: "I came, I saw, and I'm like, Omigod!")
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To: Kirkwood

Actually, they are pretty good at the experimental parts of their program, they just have trouble with the analysis, setup, and conclusions.

They fired bullets straight up in the air, and showed how they landed on the ground, and how little they dug into the dirt.


64 posted on 01/01/2010 5:41:05 PM PST by CharlesWayneCT
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To: rawhide

Instead of selling fireworks for July 4th, when it is so dry in many parts of the country that raging fires are the result, why don’t all the groups that use fireworks sales for their funding sell the stuff for New Years celebrations? It would have the potential of stopping things like this from happening.


65 posted on 01/01/2010 5:42:11 PM PST by anonsquared
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To: CharlesWayneCT

I can buy your theory. That’s the only thing that makes sense.


66 posted on 01/01/2010 5:43:00 PM PST by oldvike
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To: Kirkwood

I remember a woman being saved from grave injury from a falling bullet a number of years ago. There was a thread posted here describing how the bullet had hit her bra strap and been slowed by it.

Can’t remember the details, but I think she and her family had gathered outside to watch fireworks, or something.


67 posted on 01/01/2010 5:43:40 PM PST by LucyJo
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To: gedeon3

Firefights? what’s that got to do with anything? Yeah, they shoot probably 20-30 degrees off plumb, I would imagine. What of it?


68 posted on 01/01/2010 5:44:26 PM PST by mamelukesabre (Veni, Vidi, Vicki: "I came, I saw, and I'm like, Omigod!")
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To: rawhide

This is just ‘too far fetched’ to believe. I’m sorry, I don’t care who is reporting on it....there are just some stories that do not pass the ‘critical/logical’ thinking stage.


69 posted on 01/01/2010 5:44:26 PM PST by Outlaw Woman (If you remove the first Amendment, we'll be forced to move on to the next one.)
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To: rawhide

That was a heavy round (heavy) or rifle round (sectional density). Some people have no common sense or consideration of possible consequences (criminal types).


70 posted on 01/01/2010 5:45:05 PM PST by familyop (cbt. engr. (cbt), NG, '89-' 96, Duncan Hunter or no-vote)
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To: rawhide

Watched the movie “The Patriot” last week. Celebratory gun fire seems such a huge part of American tradition in the founding generation. I find nothing wrong with it but people should do it without hurting other folks.


71 posted on 01/01/2010 5:47:45 PM PST by raj bhatia
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To: rawhide

Reminds me of the story of some village where an earthquake hit so the townspeople rushed to the village church for protection, then the roof of the church collapsed and killed all of them. While it’s not pleasant, all you can do is realize that God must have wanted it to happen and His plans are bigger than ours. Perhaps some great thing will come of this. I do feel for the family, though.


72 posted on 01/01/2010 5:48:04 PM PST by OrangeHoof ("Barack Obama" is Swahili for "Bend over suckahs".)
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To: autumnraine

A slug, a heavy round (e.g., 45-70) or a rifle round lined up perpendicular to the roof would do it. Something like a heavy 45-70 will kill large game while falling at a steep angle. A falling, long small bore can kill people, if it’s not tumbling and sideways.


73 posted on 01/01/2010 5:49:42 PM PST by familyop (cbt. engr. (cbt), NG, '89-' 96, Duncan Hunter or no-vote)
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To: Outlaw Woman
This is just ‘too far fetched’ to believe.

Presumably the surgeon found a bullet embedded in his skull. How do you think it got there?

74 posted on 01/01/2010 5:50:19 PM PST by NittanyLion
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To: anonsquared

You don’t live in an Hispanic neighborhood, do you? The fireworks would only be in addition to, not instead of shooting of guns into the air by very intoxicated individuals. It might be prevalent in other ethnic neighborhoods than Hispanic, but none of the ones I lived in except Hispanic had the problem.


75 posted on 01/01/2010 5:53:29 PM PST by Blue Collar Christian (A "teabagger", yeah, that's me./s ><BCC>)
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To: babygene
However this seems strange to me. I wouldn’t think a falling bullet would have the velocity to penetrate a roof and kill someone.

A falling bullet won't kill you any more than a penny dropped from a great height. But a bullet still on its ballistic trajectory, still spinning, pointing forwards, is potentially deadly until it hits the ground.

Such deaths are very common in the Middle East. IIRC, a large number of people were killed after our liberation of Kuwait, just because of the celebratory gunfire. People tend to die at weddings over there too for the same reason.

76 posted on 01/01/2010 5:55:50 PM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: Dusty Road

A falling bullet with enough velocity to penetrate the roof with a loud pop and then kill the child???? I’m not buying it either. Mythbusters covered this in an episode.


77 posted on 01/01/2010 5:56:23 PM PST by JustaDumbBlonde
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To: CharlesWayneCT

A wonder of physics!

Lets celebrate by throwing knives straight up and shooting arrows into the air!

YeeHaw!


78 posted on 01/01/2010 5:57:17 PM PST by mylife (Obama is a fine orator, and Janet Napalitano is cunning linguist)
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Comment #79 Removed by Moderator

To: bikerman; autumnraine
"just saw a myth-busters show with doing just that and no way shooting straight up and the bullet coming down would it kill you ."

I saw the same show, you're right. It's impossible. You could get a big knot and maybe even a fractured skull, but NO WAY does it penetrate the skull.

There has to be more to the story than the idiot reporter either included, or knows.

80 posted on 01/01/2010 5:59:25 PM PST by OldDeckHand
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