Andrew Martins was standing in a moment of quiet just after midnight on New Year's, watching the celebration in North Palm Beach wind down, when a gunshot rang out. He didn't realize at first that the bullet had struck him in the head. Now, nine months later, the 24-year-old is preparing to run more than 100 miles around Lake Okeechobee to raise money for the nonprofit that once shared his old street.
A Bullet, a Hat, and Five Staples
Martins, who moved from New Jersey to West Palm Beach in 2025, told WPBF that he heard the shot and only realized afterward what had happened. Reporter Yasmine Julmisse detailed how first responders identified the wound from a bullet hole punched through Martins' hat, and found the bullet itself nearby. Martins said it had to have been a couple of minutes right after the ball dropped, and he was in, like, a moment of solitude, according to the WPBF report.
He needed five staples in his head but, according to the same account, did not require surgery. Martins said the way his body and head were positioned kept the bullet from passing all the way through. First responders determined, per Martins, that the shooting was likely caused by celebratory gunfire, though the exact source was never confirmed.
Why Falling Bullets Turn Deadly
The danger Martins survived is not rare during holiday celebrations in Florida. Medical ballistics research published by the National Institutes of Health shows falling bullets can reach terminal velocities between 300 and 600 feet per second, well beyond the 148 to 200 feet per second needed to penetrate human skin and skull bone. Bullets fired at an angle rather than straight up retain spin stability along their arc, according to research cited by Forbes, which lets them return to earth faster and more lethally than bullets that tumble on the way down.
Under Florida Statute 790.15, knowingly discharging a firearm in public or over residential property is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, while firing from a vehicle can bring felony penalties of up to 15 years in prison, per Leppard Law. Ahead of major holidays, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office routinely warns residents that celebratory gunfire is illegal and dangerous, urging people to report incidents through 911 or non-emergency lines, as the Boca Raton Tribune has reported. Hoodline covered Palm Beach County gunfire risks around New Year's 2025.
110 Miles Atop a Historic Dike
Martins now says he feels alive, blessed and well, and that the shooting left him with a duty to do something and a desire to be a vehicle for something greater than himself, per the WPBF report. Next month he plans to run more than 100 miles around Lake Okeechobee, joined by friends, with an estimated finish time of 28 to 35 hours.
The route follows the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, a 110-mile path atop the 35-foot-high Herbert Hoover Dike, a 143-mile earthen levee the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built after devastating hurricanes in 1926 and 1928 killed thousands of people, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. The same levee hosts the annual LOST 118 Ultramarathon, a 118-mile loop race with a 38-hour cutoff where runners face fully exposed asphalt and gravel with no shade or wind protection, according to Ultra Running Magazine.
Running for Urban Youth Impact
Running for Urban Youth Impact Martins is seeking donations for Urban Youth Impact through The Perimeter Project website. Urban Youth Impact is a nonprofit private school in West Palm Beach that serves inner-city youth for free, and Martins used to live on the same road as the organization, according to WPBF's reporting. The group provides programs, counseling and after-school care at no cost to families.
Urban Youth Impact was founded in 1997 by former professional golfer Bill Hobbs and his wife Kerry, starting with pickup sports games on Tamarind Avenue before growing to serve more than 300 inner-city youth weekly, according to MinistryWatch. The organization's campus along Australian Avenue focuses its outreach on the Tamarind Avenue corridor. Urban Youth Impact undergoes an annual independent financial audit by West Palm Beach accounting firm Divine, Blalock, Martin, Sellari, Inc. and holds accreditation with Nonprofits First in Palm Beach County, per the nonprofit's accountability page.
Martins said his goal is to spread awareness about Urban Youth Impact's community work and to be a light for others. Donors can give through urbanyouthimpact.com or The Perimeter Project website ahead of his run next month.
