VIDEO: Firework show goes wrong at New Year’s Eve celebration in Picayune

PICAYUNE, Miss. (WLOX) - What started as a celebration of the New Year turned into a frightening moment that one Picayune woman said she and her family would never forget.

Shasta Keys said the incident happened around midnight while a dozen of her family members were outside celebrating the beginning of a new year on Saturday. She said her niece lit a firework, and that’s when the chaos began.

“We didn’t know what to expect, we just started to take cover,” said Keys. “It felt like we were in a war zone. I’ve never experienced anything like this.”

She said her son, along with her niece began to yell that they were hit.

“He started yelling ‘I’m hit, I’m hit’ and I was worried because a few streets over, they were shooting guns in the air,” said Keys.

She said her son was hit on his foot, and her niece was hit in the arm. Fortunately for the family, the two only received minor injuries.

“We’re just blessed that it wasn’t anything severe,” she said.

Although the situation is over, she’s still confused as to what caused the malfunction.

“It looked like the sparkles were coming out of the ground. So many fireworks were popping that night that we don’t know if the firework hit another one, or if it was a malfunction.”

Keys said she also wants to warn everyone about being safe while celebrating on New Year’s Eve.

“We have to be mindful that if you’re shooting guns that once the bullets go up, they have to come down,” said Keys. Also, parents when kids are popping fireworks, please be present. These fireworks now are very powerful and you don’t know what could happen.”

Keys said police were not called to the scene after the accident.

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