Stray bullet turns festivities into a night of horror
Twenty-year-old Melissa Buchholz was visiting her family for the holidays when she was hit by a stray bullet on New Year's Day.
A NIGHT that was meant to bring joy and celebration into the new year among family and friends turned into a harrowing ordeal when Melissa Buchholz (20) was hit by a stray bullet in Woodlands on January 1.
Also read: Stray bullet kills Wentworth man
Buchholz and her boyfriend, Matthew de Klerk, had joined family and friends in her aunt’s front garden to watch a fireworks display when the incident occurred. Buchholz lives in Johannesburg with her mother but was spending the festive season in Durban with her father and younger sister.
At about 00:15 Buchholz started complaining of sharp pain in her arm.
“I was hugging my boyfriend when I felt a stinging and burning sensation. At first, I thought it might have been a flare from a firework. It wasn’t until I removed my jacket that a bullet fell to the floor, and we realised what had happened,” she recalled.
No gunshot was heard amidst the noise of fireworks. The bullet grazed her arm, which swelled and bruised, and was treated at Wentworth Hospital, where she got a tetanus shot and antibiotics to prevent infection.
Buchholz said, “There were over 10 people in the garden, including children. It’s terrifying to think it could have been any one of us.”
The local police did not waste any time. Members of the community policing forum and police officers from Montclair attended the scene, where one officer retrieved the bullet to be taken for ballistic testing and took Buchholz’s statement. She praised the efficiency with which they responded but also said she feared the case could drag unless the firearm is recovered.
Buchholz hopes her experience raises awareness about the dangers of celebratory gunfire.
“This isn’t just a story you hear on the news and think it can never happen to me. I urge people to think twice before acting irresponsibly and to report such behaviour when they see it,” she said.
Ward 64 councillor, Gavin Hegter, condemned the irresponsible behaviour. “I just can’t believe anyone would shoot indiscriminately into the air. The results could have been so much worse. Melissa is lucky to only have sustained a flesh wound,” he said.
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