I was just caught in the middle of a shoot out

[87th PVI]

This has been a nice neighborhood for the 38 years I've lived in it, but this past year the crime has moved outward from downtown & seems to have reached us full force.
I heard a small caliber shot fired out front after an argument over the summer, then there were five large caliber shots fired about 1:45 AM less than a block from my house on Dec 31 (not New years celebration...five shots & then a car peeling away)

Then tonight...

It was about 9:45 PM. I was walking the approx one block from my house to my parent's house.
I get about two or three row homes away from the intersection between our blocks & I hear some yelling which I thought might be a domestic, I was carrying a large tupperware container with both hands, but that little voice in my head told me to free my right hand just in case I need my sidearm. Jah's Kmart parking lot encounter was going thru my head, I never had any thought that I might be about to find myself in the situation that I was actually walking into.

The yelling stopped & I had crossed the intersection & gotten about two row homes deep into my parent's block when several shots suddenly rang out & two young men came running out of the church parking lot that sits directly across the street from my parent's house. They crossed the street & ran past me.

The first kid had a shotgun and the second was a few yards behind him as they flew past me, rounded the corner & darted down the street I had just crossed.
As they ran past me more shots were being fired at them & I ducked for cover between a parked car & the concrete steps to the third house in the row.

A car then came out of the parking lot & when I sat up to get the license plate & vehicle description, they stopped in the intersection and two shots were fired back at me. There was also a third kid on foot running down the sidewalk across the street toward the car.

I think the first shot fired at me was high.
The second shot fired at me hit the curb in front of me directly in line with the car... Debris from that hit my forehead directly above my right eyebrow but I wasn't hurt & it didn't even leave a mark.

I did however duck back down for cover again & as a result all I got was the color & general shape of the car.

It took off again with the third kid still on foot chasing the car. About 30 yards down the road, the car stopped again & the kid on foot got in & they took off.

I was up & out in the street trying to get something the police could use to ID the car, but it was too far away.



The car across the street was hit twice causing a hole in the metal & two windows were shot out of it.

The car I took cover behind had one hole in the drivers door directly across from where I was (on sidewalk next to passenger side door). That round went thru the door & into the drivers seat.

The round that hit the curb instead of me ricocheted into the bumper of the car I was using for cover.

Two other rounds went into the house I was in front of... one thru the windows above the door & then just dropped onto the floor of the living room, the other went thru a window & across their living room into the back wall of the room.



Yes I was ready to draw my sidearm, but it never left the holster.
Yes I felt my life was in danger, but they were initially shooting at one another & then the ones who shot at me were running away as they did it. Had they come toward me that would have been different, but as it went down, I never felt the need to do anything more than find cover & get my hand on my grips just in case they turned to come after me.

The two who did run toward me were running for their lives & didn't make any threatening gestures toward me... they seemed to be crapping their pants as a matter of fact. The one with the shotgun had it in his left hand at his side, while his right hand was just swinging as he ran like hell!

The YCPD recovered approx eight or ten .40 cal casings from the parking lot, one unfired round and two more casings were recovered where they shot back at me from the intersection, and the one slug that landed on the living room floor of the house was recovered. They also told the girl who owns the car that I took cover behind that they might want to cut the slug from her car seat later.

Steve came by a little later & got photos of the scene & bullet holes. I couldn't get my mom's camera flash to work so I'd like copies of those pics please Steve!

[Evolution]

Wow! I am glad to hear that you are ok!

[sxHarr05]

What the Christ, man?!?!?!?! Glad to hear you're physically ok. I'd imagine you're quite shaken up, though. Good reaction on your part to seek cover, as it seems you certainly needed it. Good thing is that you weren't in front of your own home, as they may come "looking" for a witness. I can't even begin to imagine what was going through your head at the time. Hopefully I never have to find out.

"There goes the neighborhood".

[Brown-Bear]

What part of the city?

[Frenchy]

Guess i don't come here often anymore, but the last thing I would have expected was to read about some one who "might" be considered witness to a crime talk on a public forum about where he was and how he got shot at...

Just seems to me, I would want to keep my identity very low and not advertise where I live or where i was going...

just me i guess.

[87th PVI]

What part of the city?

I sent a PM to you, but since this is a public forum & I don't want to give out even my approximate my address here, I'll say:

The Avenues You know... the "nice" section of town!

It was on Toni Smith's street... I guess we'll have another preemption ordinance to fight soon if she heard all the shots this week!
Criminals do bad things with guns & the lawmakers try to create laws that do nothing more than disarm the law abiding citizens... that's exactly how she would react too!

[Computer Steve]

I was at Giant buying groceries and I got a text from Chris:

Chris: "I was just shot @ by drug dealers"

Chris: "Yes I am serious and OK"

Me: "In my car on way home from grocery store on my way to your house"

Me: "I'm on your stoop"


Chris walked me through the scene. We uncovered new evidence and a woman that owned a car called the police back out a second time to file a report for her property.

Chris is a tough guy to take what he did tonight and remain calm like he did. The entire block was rocked emotionally. Cars and homes were damaged. There's broken glass out there mixed in with the snow. Its a shitty mess on that block tonight. Many of the people I spoke to belted out their frustration and willingness to leave the city. We talked. We comforted each other by knowing WE WERENT THE BAD GUYS.

We're going to have a block party this spring on Atlantic Avenue - everyone is invited.

[87th PVI]

Guess i don't come here often anymore, but the last thing I would have expected was to read about some one who "might" be considered witness to a crime talk on a public forum about where he was and how he got shot at...

Just seems to me, I would want to keep my identity very low and not advertise where I live or where i was going...

just me i guess.

Now you sound like my wife... they're gonna come after you!
These were stupid wanna be gangsta kids & I highly doubt they're going home after a bad drug deal & sitting back with a glass of brandy to relax & catch up on today's posts to PAFOA.


ETA:
& Witness to what???? I'll never be needed to testify...Do you really think the YCPD is going to catch them? My bet is never in a million years!

& on the off chance I'd find myself on the stand over this, they'd have my full name, address & place of employment.

[Computer Steve]

http://www.screentweet.com/4x0PSim/H...ber-projectile

http://www.screentweet.com/L8kVRI7/-...-into-the-wall


http://www.screentweet.com/sIAf6wL/a...around-the-box

http://www.screentweet.com/SXdUE3F/c...-my-friend-was

[87th PVI]

Sorry Brown Bear, I got a notice saying you tried to PM me but my PM box was full. I deleted a few messages now.