Shooting people directly usually harms only the people being shot. Warning shots have larger probability to harm other people.
The chance of someone being injured by a "warning shot" is essentially the proportion of the ground surface which is occupied by a person. Unless you're in a crowded area, this is very low - in fact I would think it's less likely than a bystander being struck by a horizontally-fired bullet that misses its intended target.
Also warning shot is frequently likely to prevent the harm on the person that otherwise would be shot. Isn't it enough?