- A 61-year-old woman from Houston, Texas was shot dead outside her home on New Year's Day by what authorities believe to be a stray bullet from celebratory gunfire in a nearby neighborhood.
- Authorities received a call just after midnight reporting that the woman had been shot whilst celebrating the coming New Year with her family.
- She was announced dead at the scene by authorities.
- The woman was identified as Philippa Ashford, a nurse who worked in a mental health facility in Houston.
- The incident comes after the Harris County Sheriff's office warned against the dangers of "celebratory gunfire" earlier in the night.
A woman in Houston, Texas was shot dead outside her home one minute into 2020, with her death caused by what police believe was a stray bullet from celebratory gunfire to ring in the New Year.
Authorities responded to a call from the home of the woman, 61-year-old Philippa Ashford, at 12.01 a.m. on New Year's Day, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Ashford was celebrating the New Year with her friends and family with fireworks in the neighborhood when the incident happened, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Investigators told ABC12 Houston that as the group celebrated the start of 2020, Ashford suddenly clutched her body and said "I think I've been shot," before collapsing to the ground.
Ashford was pronounced dead by police at the scene, according to the Harris County Sheriff.
Gonzalez said authorities believe she may have been struck by a stray bullet fired from outside the immediate neighborhood.
In a statement to the Houston Chronicle, Sgt. Ben Beall, a spokesman from the Harris County Sherrif's Office said there was no indication of anybody in the cul-de-sac where Ashford lived using firearms at the time. He added that police were unable to find any shell casings anywhere in the immediate vicinity.
Investigations are still ongoing, according to the AP.
Earlier in the night the Harris County Sheriff's Office posted a warning against the use of celebratory gunfire in the area, a misdemeanor they said is punishable by a fine of $4,000 and up to 1 year in jail.
Ashford worked as a nurse at The Menninger clinic, a mental health treatment facility in Houston.
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