A stray bullet pierced the ceiling of a 2-year-old’s bedroom in Northwest Dallas on New Year’s Eve, landing just feet from the child’s crib and prompting fresh demands to curb the hazardous practice of celebratory gunfire that plagues the city during holidays.
The family discovered the bullet hole the following day, tracing its path through the roof, attic floor, and nursery ceiling. No one was injured, but the close call has highlighted the risks to residents from what some describe as a persistent and dangerous tradition.
Dallas police fielded 759 calls about celebratory gunfire over the New Year’s period, down about 100 from the previous year, but the issue shows no signs of abating.
Fort Worth police reported 70 such calls, with many others handled through a non-emergency line.
“We don’t want to have to tie up all the emergency lines with gunfire, just celebratory gunfire,” Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said during a New Year’s Eve news conference, Fox 4 KDFW reported.
City Council member Gay Donnell Willis noted the challenges in addressing the problem. “Random gunfire is tough because it may happen when someone drives away,” she said, per Fox 4. “I have asked that they do a follow-up on how many arrests were made. Closing the loop on the call and the action.”
Frustration has led some residents to stop reporting incidents altogether.
“I think a lot of people aren’t calling it in anymore because it’s like, you know, you show up hours later,” said Council Member Cara Mendelsohn.
In Oak Cliff’s Elmwood neighborhood, locals report frequent gunfire that intensifies during celebrations.
“It’s like a mix, a lot of 9 millimeters probably. We’ve got a lot of people who have AR-s, .223 caliber, and just generally people unloading a whole 10, 15 round clip at a time pretty consistently throughout the night,” said Andrew Cagle, a six-year resident, NBC 5 DFW reported.
Cagle said a bullet recently damaged a friend’s roof, and he now keeps his children inside on high-risk nights.
He compared the situation unfavorably to his time abroad. “The last city I experienced this in was Beirut. I lived in Lebanon, so we had some of this there, but I’ve actually heard more of this here in Oak Cliff than I did in Beirut.”
Violeta Galanardo, another resident, described the sounds blending with fireworks as the city welcomed 2026. “Especially between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m., you hear firecrackers, but you also hear gunshots. Even now, you can hear some, right?” she said, according to NBC 5.
Galanardo emphasized the dangers: “The main concern is safety, of course. Everything that goes up must come down, so it’s something that worries us.”
Brandon Roberts, a worker at Priority Roofing, often discovers bullets lodged in homes across Dallas. “From 22 to 9 millimeters to 40 to 45 calibers,” he said, per Fox 4. “I’ve found it embedded in roofs. Through a roof and insulation above a kitchen table.”
Roberts and his wife hear regular gunfire in Northeast Dallas. “New Year’s Eve is nonstop. On the other regular nights, you will hear it every other night at least, and when you do hear it on nights, you hear it more than once.”
Longtime Elmwood resident Janet Smith acknowledged the strain on law enforcement. “I think our police are doing the best they can, but we definitely need more,” she said, per NBC 5.
While no injuries were reported in Elmwood, neighbors worry it’s inevitable without intervention.
Random gunfire is classified as a priority three call for Dallas police, behind more urgent matters.
Earlier this month, officials announced plans to incorporate license plate readers, cameras, and drones into their responses, following disappointment with a prior gunshot-detection system.
The city’s public safety committee plans to revisit potential solutions in its next session.
