KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Police are investigating three incidents of property damage from celebratory gunfire during the Fourth of July.
Police said no one was injured. But according to reports, one bullet came through a skylight in the 12300 block of East 69th Street. Two other bullets hit the roofs of two homes in the 4200 block of Vineyard Road.
One of the homes hit belonged to Queen Ellison.
"It's very, very unsettling," said told 41 Action News. "Where did it come from? Which way did it come? We don't have a clue."
Ellison said the bullet pierced through her roof and ceiling around 11 p.m., just feet away from where her grandson had been sitting. Officers recovered it underneath a table.
"It's chilling just to think about it," she said.
Before the holiday, KCPD officers went door-to-door in neighborhoods to warn against celebratory gunfire.
Now, officers use technology to determine where the bullets came from and identify who might have been the shooter.
One tool is the Shot Spotter.
"It tells us where, when and how much of gunfire," said Sgt. Jake Becchina.
Police will not identify where the Shot Spotter area is in the city but say it is in an area where 70 percent of gunshots go unreported.
The technology can decipher a gunshot from firework and a car backfire. It also alerts officers to the exact location and records the audio of the gunfire.
"It's making policing smarter, for sure. It's giving us more information for follow up, more information for pro-active activity and more information to be able to help solve crimes after they occur," said Becchina.
