An Indiana teen is dead after being hit by a falling bullet that authorities say was shot into the sky.
Noah Inman, 13, was playing basketball with a group of friends around 9:30 p.m. when he collapsed, according to WMAQ. Witnesses called an ambulance, believing the teen may have suffered a seizure.
When he arrived at the hospital, doctors determined that he had been struck by a falling bullet that had been fired into the sky by someone in the area. He died days later.
Police have since concluded that the bullet was “most likely fired into the air like a firework.”
“Unfortunately, this is a common action by many people who own guns in our city and they need to know this action has consequences and will be dealt with severely by the Hammond Police Department,” the police department said in a statement. “We ask the public to please keep your Fourth of July celebrations to the use of legal fireworks only.”
After learning of Noah’s death, Hammond police released a second statement.
