Local deputies endure an action-packed Fourth of July

With tens of thousands of tourists packing south Okaloosa County for the 4th of July weekend, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office received nearly two-thousand calls for service from noon on July 3rd to 1 p.m. July 6th.

Some of the more common calls deputies responded to included 76 fireworks complaints, 69 traffic crashes, 40 noise complaints, 72 disturbances, 35 calls for suspicious activity, 27 batteries, 34 suspected DUI’s, and at least 59 other alcohol-related offenses.

In the meantime investigators are still trying to find out who’s responsible for firing a weapon into the air during the Destin fireworks show Friday night around 9:40. When the bullet came down, it struck 23-year old Stephanie Little of Florence, Mississippi in the shoulder. She was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola for treatment.

An anonymous caller reports hearing what sounded like a gunshot in the vicinity of Ridgewood Avenue in Destin during that time frame. A homeowner in that area also found a spent round in their swimming pool on July 5th.

Anyone with additional information is asked to please call the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office at 850-651-7400 or Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers at 850-863-TIPS.