Skip to main content

Bergen man suffers bullet wound while watching fireworks in Rochester

By Howard B. Owens

A Bergen man was reportedly the victim of a gun shot during a fireworks display in Rochester on Monday evening.

Daniel MacKey, 40, checked himself into UMMC after returning from the fireworks in Rochester and medical staff found a bullet in his leg.

MacKey was apparently sitting on his truck with his daughter during the show when he felt a sharp pain in his leg just above the knee. He noticed blood and walked over to Rochester firefighters who where nearby and the firefighters bandaged up his leg.

He then returned to Batavia to have his leg examined locally.

The wound was reportedly caused by a small caliber bullet.

Investigators do not believe MacKey was targeted, but there are no suspects at this time. The shooting remains under investigation.

Chris Charvella

Well done Rochester firefighters...I understand that the 4th of July is a busy night and all, but seriously, a bleeding guy walks up to you with pain in his leg and you don't think about it a little?

Jul 6, 2011, 10:37pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

Chris, I had some thought along the same lines.

Which makes me wonder if there is an element to the story not reported.

It just doesn't make sense that a guy who I imagine was bleeding pretty good with something that must have looked like a bullet wound and probably in some pain, just gets bandaged at the scene. No ambulance, and in the D&C story, no reference to the police being involved at that scene. And he drives himself back to Batavia for treatment.

Some elements of the story are obviously missing.

Jul 6, 2011, 11:30pm Permalink
Chris Charvella

One thing that's obviously missing:

Guy has a hole in his leg (either spurting, weeping or seeping depending on the location) why gauze and a pat on the ass to send him on his way?

When I was in the Air Force, I literally taught the class on this stuff.. field first aid, CPR etc.. I spent countless hours teaching people how to treat sucking bullet wounds with a plastic ID card vs. seeping bullet wounds with pressure and a clean bandage; I bored people with cautionary tales about atropine and other assorted survival methods that were delivered via giant needles to the thigh and all I can say is that I'm a bit shocked at how this was handled.

Jul 7, 2011, 12:37am Permalink
Howard B. Owens

Chris, what I'm saying is ... based on the information available, it is shocking.

I tend to believe that people are professionals until proven otherwise. Since it's hard to believe that a professional firefighter would apply some gauze and blithely send him on his way, I'm not jumping to that conclusion.

A piece of the puzzle is missing -- and since I don't cover Rochester, I'm not the guy to fill it in.

Let's hope it's just a missing piece of the puzzle and not some unprofessional conduct in Rochester.

Jul 7, 2011, 12:51am Permalink
Janice Stenman

This is insane! Also, it is one of the reasons I couldn't wait to move out of Rochester and back to Genesee County.

People have died from being shot in the leg. Perhaps we can remember State Trooper JOSEPH A. LONGOBARDO who was murdered by Bucky Phillips.

Jul 7, 2011, 1:18am Permalink
Chris Charvella

I don't know, maybe the guy just walked up to the firefighters and said, 'Hey guys, I got a boo-boo, anyone have a band-aid I could borrow?'

Jul 7, 2011, 9:48am Permalink
C. M. Barons

All of the Rochester reports indicate that MacKey did not realize he had been shot until the hospital X-ray revealed a bullet. One report attests the "medics" at the scene supposed it to be the result of a "rouge (rogue?) firework ember." Likely, MacKey (who had fallen and broken his arm the week before), did not anticipate a bullet wound and presented himself (and leg) to firefighters with whatever plausible explanation he imagined (other than bullet wound). Judging from the photo of the wound that accompanies WHEC's online report http://www.whec.com/news/stories/s2185618.shtml?cat=565 - there wasn't much of an entry wound- small caliber and low velocity would explain. It is understandable that someone less than familiar with gunshot wounds might conclude MacKey's wound was something other than what it was.

Jul 7, 2011, 12:29pm Permalink
C. M. Barons

Also (from an HNN report) MacKey was watching the downtown fireworks display from the Mt. Hope Avenue parking lot of Time Warner Cable (his employer). Unless he and his daughter had attracted the attention of some random-serial-sniper, it is unlikely that he was the intended target- probably hit by a stray shot.

Jul 7, 2011, 12:43pm Permalink
Jennifer Keys

I thought the same thing as Howard when I first read this in the D & C. There's something missing to this story. While, perhaps, you might expect stray gunfire near Time Warner on Mt. Hope, you really don't expect medics to give him a sucker and send him on his way. There's something missing in between. The picture in the link C.M. posted to WHEC's coverage doesn't look like a bullet wound. My experience of medics everywhere, including in the City of Rochester, is that they are professional. I don't think it fair to say they have done something inappropriate yet because the story just doesn't add up, currently.

Jul 7, 2011, 9:20pm Permalink

Authentically Local