Gunshots or fireworks? Savannah Police says no celebratory gunfire this Fourth of July

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Safety is top of our mind as we celebrate the Fourth of July.

Savannah Police will have extra officers out Tuesday, patrolling and making sure everyone is celebrating safely and following the rules.

Fireworks are allowed to be shot off between 10 a.m. and 11:59 p.m., but Assistant Chief Robert Gavin with SPD says that if they get calls about people using fireworks outside of those times, they will respond to enforce the law.

Another concern that SPD has is celebratory gunfire.

Gavin says they can generally expect a few instances of celebratory gunfire each year around this time, but wants to remind people that not only is it illegal, but it’s extremely dangerous.

“Every bullet that you fire comes down somewhere, and you know, it puts yourself and your family and your friends in just as much danger as someone in another location. So really that’s one of those things that we really hope that people adhere to, and we want to see that number go down,” Gavin said.

Gavin says that SPD’s ShotSpotter system is designed to differentiate between fireworks and gunshots, so they’ll be able to use that to track down any gunfire.

If you see any instances of celebratory gunfire, you should call 911.

You can also watch fireworks Tuesday night at 9:15 p.m. on River Street.

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