A 13‑year‑old boy from Morrow, Georgia walked into 2026 with pain in his arm and a story that nearly ended in tragedy. Just after midnight on New Year’s Eve, inside the Retreat at Baywood apartment complex, he felt a sharp impact and thought it was fireworks — until he and his mom realized he had been struck by a bullet believed to be falling from celebratory gunfire.
His mother, Michelle Cockfield, remembers the shock clearly. In the seconds after the ball dropped and fireworks lit up the sky, her son began jumping up and down, certain that a firework had hit him. “I just seen my son jumping up and down,” she said, replaying the confusing moments when loud noises and flashes filled the complex.
At first, both thought the injury was from a stray firework. The teenager told his mom his arm “just flew back” and that it felt like a firework hit him. They went back inside, assuming the bright celebration was to blame. It was only when they took a closer look that reality set in — the wound was made by a bullet, not a firework.
Doctors treated the boy’s arm, and while he is expected to recover, the scare shook the family and the apartment community. Cockfield said she’s thankful her son will heal and has a future ahead — something she hopes others will think about before firing guns into the air during celebrations.
Sheriff’s deputies in Clayton County continue to remind the public that bullets fired straight up must come down somewhere, often with dangerous force. Law enforcement across Georgia has repeatedly warned that celebratory gunfire is illegal and can cause serious injuries or worse.
The incident at Retreat at Baywood is part of a wider pattern seen in cities across the U.S., where falling bullets from holiday gunfire have injured and even killed people in recent years. Police urge residents to choose safer ways to celebrate, especially on nights when fireworks and cheers fill the air.
For the Cockfield family, the shock of that New Year’s Eve will linger, but the mother’s message is clear: “I’m just glad that he’s alive because it could’ve been worse.”
