Don’t celebrate the eve by firing guns, DA warns

District Attorney Lynne Abraham warned Philadelphians who plan to shoot guns in the air tonight to celebrate the New Year that they face aggressive prosecution if caught.

Joined at a late-morning news conference by Joseph Jaskolka, who on New Year's Eve in 1998 was struck and disabled by a falling bullet, Abraham also warned revelers of the devastating costs of the dangerous tradition.

"This is a sobering message on what should be a night of celebration," Abraham said.

She delivered the same message last year, and that night police received 402 reports of gunfire or someone with a gun, and officers arrested 19 people.

Jaskolka was 11 when he was struck in the head with a bullet in South Philadelphia. Now 20, he uses a wheelchair and attends Delaware Technical and Community College.

The gunman was never identified.