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Residents tell council prolonged New Year fireworks and gunfire disrupted neighborhoods
Summary
During public comment, residents described sustained fireworks and gunfire over New Year's Eve and Day; council urged callers to report incidents to police and said enforcement is challenging but will be examined.
Several residents urged the Diamondhead City Council to address what they described as prolonged and disruptive fireworks and shooting over the New Year's period.
Darryl Pellegrino, identified by the clerk during public comment, told the council the noise began around 8 p.m. on New Year's Eve and continued into the early hours, and recurred on New Year's Day. "Start off, New Year's Eve about 08:00 at night started. And it ended up about 02:00," Pellegrino said, adding that the incidents included "big fireworks" and what he described as rifle and pistol shots.
A police representative and the mayor responded that enforcement is limited by patrol capacity and encouraged residents to report incidents immediately by calling 911. The mayor said: "If they don't call the police... report it. If you called 911... that's dangerous." Council members acknowledged the problem and said they would discuss enforcement options but noted practical limits on controlling fireworks across the municipality.
The council did not enact new enforcement measures during the meeting; staff said they would check whether citations had been issued and follow up on reporting procedures. Residents asking for action were told to continue reporting incidents so police can document occurrences and identify sources.
