Celebratory gunfire over man’s jail release gets friend put in jail, Florida cops say

A jubilant moment outside a Florida home took an ironic turn, when a man got arrested while celebrating a friend’s upcoming jail release.

It happened around 9:45 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23, in the 2400 block of SW Lafayette Street, according to the Port St. Lucie Police Department. Port St. Lucie is about 110 miles north of Miami.

A caller reported “shooting activity” in the neighborhood of single-family homes, prompting officers to canvass the area.

Multiple shell casings were found, all in one driveway, officials said.

The evidence led officers to question a 21-year-old man who lives at the home, and they discovered he was behind the “celebratory gunfire,” officials said.

“(He) had been out drinking with his girlfriend when he began to shoot his handgun out of the vehicle as he was arriving home,” the sheriff’s office reported.

“He then exited the car and fired additional rounds from his driveway. Officers learned (he) shot the rounds in celebration of his friend who is getting released from jail soon.”

No one was injured during the shooting spree. However, it is a second-degree felony in Florida to “willfully” discharge a gun from a vehicle within 1,000 feet of another person.

Police arrested the suspect and charged him with “discharging a firearm from a vehicle,” officials said. Port St. Lucie jail records show he was released the next morning.

Investigators didn’t say if the suspect and his friend briefly occupied the same jail.

This story was originally published October 25, 2022 at 8:58 AM with the headline "Celebratory gunfire over man’s jail release gets friend put in jail, Florida cops say."