There were five separate incidents of people firing their guns into the air during the last 24 hours in St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg Police say a 17-year-old girl was hit by a stray bullet just after midnight. Authorities say she was in the backyard of a home off 32 St. S when she felt something hit her leg. A bullet fell from the sky and hit her in the upper right thigh. She went to the hospital but is expected to be OK.

Harold Jackson lives next door. When he learned someone had been struck by a stray bullet, he wasn’t surprised.

“I was thinking last night was not going to be a good night,” he said.

Jackson’s lived in the area for almost 10 years. A few years ago, he noticed a new hole in the metal roof of his back porch. He repaired it and didn’t think much of it.

“It was about a week later before I found the shell on the ground,” he said.

Jackson said he doesn’t live in fear, but he’s cautious. He’s 75 and understands his limitations.

“We can’t run, when we’re out and something happens, we’re kind of stuck with where we can go, what we can do,” he said.

Cop car hit

A St. Petersburg police cruiser was struck by a stray bullet Thursday night.

SPPD officials say an officer was preparing to go on duty when he noticed his cruiser had a damaged windshield. The damage appears to be from a falling bullet.

“These falling bullets are everywhere,” said SPPD spokesman Mike Puetz. “In this case, one landed in our own backyard.”

The car was parked in the north parking lot of SPPD headquarters. No one was hurt.

Five arrested

St. Petersburg police arrested five men in two separate incidents related to celebratory gunfire.

Around 12:30 a.m., SPPD officers responded to a call from the 2600 block of 3rd Ave. South. When officers arrived, shots were fired into the area. Police found four men in the area, two with rifles. All four ran and were caught by police.

“There were many, many, many rounds found in the street which suggested these folks had been discharging guns into the air,” Puetz said.

Police arrested Jararski Ra'sharde Sandy, Samuel Madison Lavine, Arron Jordon Woody and Elijah Dreshaud Johnson in connection with the incident.

Less than two hours later, officers responded to a call on 29th Street South regarding someone shooting a rifle. When they got there, officers found many shell casings on the ground and Arron Rodriguez sitting in a red Monte Carlo. There was an AK-47 in the back seat.

Rodriguez refused to talk to police. He was arrested and charged with obstruction and a felon in possession of a firearm.