Eli5 If you shoot a bullet into the air how does it gain enough velocity on the way down to kill someone?

Question

Eli5 If you shoot a bullet into the air how does it gain enough velocity on the way down to kill someone?

In: 5

Answer 1

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falling bullets can hit the ground at speeds greater than 61 metres per second (m/s). Bullets travelling between 46 and 61 m/s penetrate skin. Faster than this, and they can penetrate the skull.

Celebratory gunfire can cause injuries that require emergency room treatment and death. In Puerto Rico, 19 people were injured by celebratory gunfire on New Year’s Eve 2003, and one died.

Source:
https://www.newscientist.com/lastword/mg25233622-900-can-bullets-fired-upwards-cause-injuries-when-they-return-to-earth/

Remember falling objects increase speed at 9.8 meters a second until they reach terminal velocity