A shooting right in front of you

markj · October 18, 2011, 03:17 PM

My co worker witnessed this event:

http://www.omaha.com/article/2011101...ep-police-busy

spoke to the cops gave descriptions etc. Shooter was shooting at a guy on a moped right in front of his vehicle.

How would you react?What tactic would you use in this situation?

Patriot86 · October 18, 2011, 03:29 PM

Not sure if you are asking what I would do if I was the guy getting shot at...or just a bystander. Unless I am the target, the GET THE #### down or get to cover tactic works pretty good for starters.

The shooting sounds gang related and unless my family or I was directly threatened I would probably stay out of it.

If the guy on his moped was infront of me I would probably run his ass over. Unless you are carrying a serious gun, I would worry about penetrating the windshield then what the bullet would do beyond the penetration.

markj · October 18, 2011, 04:05 PM

Sorry, let me clarify that

just a bystander

the shooter was across the street the van was headed towards the shooter, the mo ped came out of a parking lot in front of the work van. In the pic the shooters were right where the yellow line is.

AdamSean · October 18, 2011, 09:42 PM

If I or any of my loved one were not involved in a shooting nearby, I would remain behind some type of cover and observe as much as I could while being safe. That way I could relay the information to the police so they could do their jobs and turn the wheels of the justice system. It is not my responsibility to engage in a street fight that is going on near me. I don't know all the details of the situation. For all I know it may be an undercover police officer making a critical decision that ends up saving countless lives. The truth is we really don't know what we WILL do in any given situation.

I have been close to a shooting in the past. I was standing outside with a friend of mine in the downtown area of Birmingham, AL when shots opened up less than 50 feet away. We both dove behind his car. I was carrying and did draw my pistol into a ready position, yet I stayed behind the car. If the threat came to us, I was ready, but I kept safe by staying behind cover and noting the car speeding off and the direction. I believe what I did was the best thing anyone could have done.

Hope for the best, but train for the worst.

farmerboy · October 18, 2011, 10:12 PM

Hope for the best, train for the worst and Hide! Hahahaha. That's funny

CTA Trainers · October 19, 2011, 12:55 AM

Self preservation. After that is achieved. Observe and try to remember details in order to be a good witness.

Steel Talon · October 19, 2011, 01:42 AM

I would di di mao.....

briandg · October 19, 2011, 03:22 AM

I don't know. There will be thousands of little cues that tell me what to do.

I could not just ignore it and I don't think I could just drop and hide.

Outlaw81 · October 19, 2011, 03:32 AM

Wait till the perp isn't looking.... and R U N O F T!!!

Whirlwind06 · October 19, 2011, 07:26 AM

Here is what I did.

One night around 2am about 10 years ago I was sitting in my living room getting ready to go to bed. I lived in the inner city at the time. I hear a couple guys arguing in front of my house. I look out and see the 2 guys about 20 feet from my front door yelling and pushing each other. Then the guy facing me pulls out a revolver and shoots the other guy. The other guy seeing a gun starts running towards my house! The shooter is chasing him and shooting more rounds at him.

When I saw and heard the first shot I hit the ground, grabbed the phone and called 911. Meanwhile I hear shots being fired all around my house, these guys ran all around the house with the shooter firing the whole time. This all happened in about 15-20 seconds

Get off the phone with 911 hear the now victim moaning in my front yard. Come out he is holding his belly. I tell him cops and EMS are on the way. Grab a hand towel and give it to him. (Not touching him HIV/AIDS risk IMO)

LEOs get there, EMS gets there take him way (LEO's told me later the victim was going to be ok). One out 6 bullets hit him. LEOs look for bullet holes, don't find any. I can't give much of a description. Finally get to bed about 2 hours later.

About 2 months later, I find a bullet hole in the trunk of my car. The bullet went through the license plate, so it was really hard to see. I looked around in the trunk and find the round, it was either .32 or .38.

Skans · October 19, 2011, 07:32 AM

If I had my cell phone with me, I'd call 911. Other than that, I'd stay put in my vehicle with my gun ready to go. Not about to engage in a car-to-car shootout with someone.

Deja vu · October 19, 2011, 07:39 AM

Quote:

If I had my cell phone with me, I'd call 911. Other than that, I'd stay put in my vehicle with my gun ready to go. Not about to engage in a car-to-car shootout with someone.

I agree 100%.

1. Keep your self (and your family) safe
2. Call 911
3. Be the best witness you can so the police can do there job.

the gun is what you use when you don't have the option to hide/get away.

TailGator · October 19, 2011, 09:43 AM

I agree with the above posts. First priority is safety, and I have no idea what is going on or who the bad guys and good guys really are in this situation. Clear leather and prepare to defend against any direct threat, look for opportunities to seek cover, including the cover of distance from the shooter. Drive away if possible. Exiting the vehicle if it is trapped or boxed in in some way may or may not be prudent depending on which direction the bullets are flying, how close other cover may be, etc.

Whirlwind, you did fine except I am not sure I would leave the cover of my house in the situation you described. I wouldn't want to be there if the shooter left to reload and came back, for example, and a towel doesn't really change the course of abdominal bleeding - it just makes applying pressure to the wound a little neater. Your compassion was admirable, but it put you in at least some amount of danger.

markj · October 19, 2011, 02:50 PM

Yeah his was safety too but in a moving van with other vehicles behind and in front it was a scary situation he says.

He called 911 on our company phone which also sent a call to our police force here on campus which also responded to the call.

He remembered the color of the pants and jacket and shoes the guys were also caught on film but so far no one has been arrested.

So today somone puts a small bag of popcorn in the microwave, yep poof up in flames, alarms go off fire dept shows up cops too

had to go outside and wait till they checked it all out.

Maybe we will get hazardous duty pay

tmorone · October 20, 2011, 11:37 AM

On halloween night in 2008 or 2009 I was in downtown Spokane, WA and watched a guy get shot twice in the chest- then the shooter started shooting at 5 or 6 of us standing on the sidewalk about 75 feet away. I hit the ground, and people on both my right and left sides were hit as they stood there and screamed. Remember the parking lot sign above my head had a hole in it. Was probably one of the scariest moments of my life. Overall 4 people were hit I think, and the first one shot was dead right there.

I was unarmed, so trying to get out of his line of fire and make myself the smallest target was the best option.

Shadi Khalil · October 20, 2011, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamSean

If I or any of my loved one were not involved in a shooting nearby, I would remain behind some type of cover and observe as much as I could while being safe. That way I could relay the information to the police so they could do their jobs and turn the wheels of the justice system. It is not my responsibility to engage in a street fight that is going on near me. I don't know all the details of the situation. For all I know it may be an undercover police officer making a critical decision that ends up saving countless lives.

I think that is the best tactic and I'd like to think that's what I'd do. I would probably turn tail and run like the dickens, calling 911 once I've gotten as far as I could run (not very far). I wouldn't want to stay near the scene because

1) too many times in my life (twice) I've resembled the suspect. Thats probably because I'm average weight, height and because of my ethnic background I'm often mistaken for being alot of different races, including regular old white guy.

2) More than often I'm carrying and I dont want to be any where near the scene of a shooting or surrounding area while armed.

3) I do what ever I can to avoid being physically harmed or harming someone else. I've found that running is the best way to avoid both.

Some people have a visceral need to intervene or provide assistance. Some states even have laws that make it compulsory. When it comes to fighting, shooting or violence in general, I prefer to run. Sure there are some circumstances that are exceptions to the rule (old ladies, danzels in distress, children, ect.).

omkhan · October 21, 2011, 06:55 AM

Some months ago,

I was having lunch with my colleagues on the 2nd floor of a restaurant. We heard shots from down the street. Went to the windows to see whats happening (Dumbest Idea, I know). So here we saw 2-3 guys in sitting position firing in a particular direction which we could not see. The other side was also returning fire. It was a mess, women, bystanders etc were all could be seen running to find some safe spot. Suddenly a bullet came in on the 2nd floor making a hole in the window. At this spot every 1 in the restaurant laid down. I called 15 (our version of 911, supposedly) and informed the police which came in 5 minutes after the shootout which lasted around 3-4 minutes hardly.

Later it was learned through news that a political figure (who I also saw firing) was attacked by assassins of a rival party but he and his private guards repelled the attack. No casualties happened but it was indeed a scary incident.

Shadi Khalil · October 21, 2011, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by omkhan

Some months ago,

I was having lunch with my colleagues on the 2nd floor of a restaurant. We heard shots from down the street. Went to the windows to see whats happening (Dumbest Idea, I know). So here we saw 2-3 guys in sitting position firing in a particular direction which we could not see. The other side was also returning fire. It was a mess, women, bystanders etc were all could be seen running to find some safe spot. Suddenly a bullet came in on the 2nd floor making a hole in the window. At this spot every 1 in the restaurant laid down. I called 15 (our version of 911, supposedly) and informed the police which came in 5 minutes after the shootout which lasted around 3-4 minutes hardly.

Later it was learned through news that a political figure (who I also saw firing) was attacked by assassins of a rival party but he and his private guards repelled the attack. No casualties happened but it was indeed a scary incident.

Where do you live?

omkhan · October 26, 2011, 04:46 AM

Karachi, Pakistan

October 18, 2011, 03:17 PM	#1
markj Senior Member Join Date: October 27, 2005 Location: Crescent Iowa Posts: 2,971	A shooting right in front of you My co worker witnessed this event: http://www.omaha.com/article/2011101...ep-police-busy spoke to the cops gave descriptions etc. Shooter was shooting at a guy on a moped right in front of his vehicle. How would you react?What tactic would you use in this situation?

October 19, 2011, 03:32 AM	#9
Outlaw81 Senior Member Join Date: April 9, 2011 Location: Southeast OK Posts: 114	Wait till the perp isn't looking.... and R U N O F T!!! __________________ Don't Run...You'll only die tired. “It was the ultimate hunting trip: a man hunting another man who was hunting me. Don’t talk to me about hunting lions or elephants; they don’t fight back with rifles and scopes!"--Chuck Mawhinney Marines never die...We just go to hell and regroup!!

October 18, 2011, 03:29 PM	#2
Patriot86 Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2010 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 1,293	Not sure if you are asking what I would do if I was the guy getting shot at...or just a bystander. Unless I am the target, the GET THE #### down or get to cover tactic works pretty good for starters. The shooting sounds gang related and unless my family or I was directly threatened I would probably stay out of it. If the guy on his moped was infront of me I would probably run his ass over. Unless you are carrying a serious gun, I would worry about penetrating the windshield then what the bullet would do beyond the penetration.

October 18, 2011, 04:05 PM	#3
markj Senior Member Join Date: October 27, 2005 Location: Crescent Iowa Posts: 2,971	Sorry, let me clarify that just a bystander the shooter was across the street the van was headed towards the shooter, the mo ped came out of a parking lot in front of the work van. In the pic the shooters were right where the yellow line is.

October 18, 2011, 09:42 PM	#4
AdamSean Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2007 Location: Tuscaloosa, AL Posts: 479	If I or any of my loved one were not involved in a shooting nearby, I would remain behind some type of cover and observe as much as I could while being safe. That way I could relay the information to the police so they could do their jobs and turn the wheels of the justice system. It is not my responsibility to engage in a street fight that is going on near me. I don't know all the details of the situation. For all I know it may be an undercover police officer making a critical decision that ends up saving countless lives. The truth is we really don't know what we WILL do in any given situation. I have been close to a shooting in the past. I was standing outside with a friend of mine in the downtown area of Birmingham, AL when shots opened up less than 50 feet away. We both dove behind his car. I was carrying and did draw my pistol into a ready position, yet I stayed behind the car. If the threat came to us, I was ready, but I kept safe by staying behind cover and noting the car speeding off and the direction. I believe what I did was the best thing anyone could have done. Hope for the best, but train for the worst.

October 18, 2011, 10:12 PM	#5
farmerboy Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,343	Hope for the best, train for the worst and Hide! Hahahaha. That's funny

October 19, 2011, 12:55 AM	#6
CTA Trainers Member Join Date: October 19, 2011 Location: PA Posts: 15	Self preservation. After that is achieved. Observe and try to remember details in order to be a good witness.

October 19, 2011, 01:42 AM	#7
Steel Talon Senior Member Join Date: May 30, 2007 Posts: 138	I would di di mao.....

October 19, 2011, 03:22 AM	#8
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	I don't know. There will be thousands of little cues that tell me what to do. I could not just ignore it and I don't think I could just drop and hide.

October 19, 2011, 07:26 AM	#10
Whirlwind06 Senior Member Join Date: March 3, 2006 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 998	Here is what I did. One night around 2am about 10 years ago I was sitting in my living room getting ready to go to bed. I lived in the inner city at the time. I hear a couple guys arguing in front of my house. I look out and see the 2 guys about 20 feet from my front door yelling and pushing each other. Then the guy facing me pulls out a revolver and shoots the other guy. The other guy seeing a gun starts running towards my house! The shooter is chasing him and shooting more rounds at him. When I saw and heard the first shot I hit the ground, grabbed the phone and called 911. Meanwhile I hear shots being fired all around my house, these guys ran all around the house with the shooter firing the whole time. This all happened in about 15-20 seconds Get off the phone with 911 hear the now victim moaning in my front yard. Come out he is holding his belly. I tell him cops and EMS are on the way. Grab a hand towel and give it to him. (Not touching him HIV/AIDS risk IMO) LEOs get there, EMS gets there take him way (LEO's told me later the victim was going to be ok). One out 6 bullets hit him. LEOs look for bullet holes, don't find any. I can't give much of a description. Finally get to bed about 2 hours later. About 2 months later, I find a bullet hole in the trunk of my car. The bullet went through the license plate, so it was really hard to see. I looked around in the trunk and find the round, it was either .32 or .38.

October 19, 2011, 07:32 AM	#11
Skans Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2008 Posts: 11,132	If I had my cell phone with me, I'd call 911. Other than that, I'd stay put in my vehicle with my gun ready to go. Not about to engage in a car-to-car shootout with someone.

October 19, 2011, 09:43 AM	#13
TailGator Senior Member Join Date: May 8, 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,787	I agree with the above posts. First priority is safety, and I have no idea what is going on or who the bad guys and good guys really are in this situation. Clear leather and prepare to defend against any direct threat, look for opportunities to seek cover, including the cover of distance from the shooter. Drive away if possible. Exiting the vehicle if it is trapped or boxed in in some way may or may not be prudent depending on which direction the bullets are flying, how close other cover may be, etc. Whirlwind, you did fine except I am not sure I would leave the cover of my house in the situation you described. I wouldn't want to be there if the shooter left to reload and came back, for example, and a towel doesn't really change the course of abdominal bleeding - it just makes applying pressure to the wound a little neater. Your compassion was admirable, but it put you in at least some amount of danger.

October 19, 2011, 02:50 PM	#14
markj Senior Member Join Date: October 27, 2005 Location: Crescent Iowa Posts: 2,971	Yeah his was safety too but in a moving van with other vehicles behind and in front it was a scary situation he says. He called 911 on our company phone which also sent a call to our police force here on campus which also responded to the call. He remembered the color of the pants and jacket and shoes the guys were also caught on film but so far no one has been arrested. So today somone puts a small bag of popcorn in the microwave, yep poof up in flames, alarms go off fire dept shows up cops too had to go outside and wait till they checked it all out. Maybe we will get hazardous duty pay

October 20, 2011, 11:37 AM	#15
tmorone Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2010 Posts: 221	On halloween night in 2008 or 2009 I was in downtown Spokane, WA and watched a guy get shot twice in the chest- then the shooter started shooting at 5 or 6 of us standing on the sidewalk about 75 feet away. I hit the ground, and people on both my right and left sides were hit as they stood there and screamed. Remember the parking lot sign above my head had a hole in it. Was probably one of the scariest moments of my life. Overall 4 people were hit I think, and the first one shot was dead right there. I was unarmed, so trying to get out of his line of fire and make myself the smallest target was the best option.

October 21, 2011, 06:55 AM	#17
omkhan Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2008 Location: Karachi, Pakistan Posts: 117	Some months ago, I was having lunch with my colleagues on the 2nd floor of a restaurant. We heard shots from down the street. Went to the windows to see whats happening (Dumbest Idea, I know). So here we saw 2-3 guys in sitting position firing in a particular direction which we could not see. The other side was also returning fire. It was a mess, women, bystanders etc were all could be seen running to find some safe spot. Suddenly a bullet came in on the 2nd floor making a hole in the window. At this spot every 1 in the restaurant laid down. I called 15 (our version of 911, supposedly) and informed the police which came in 5 minutes after the shootout which lasted around 3-4 minutes hardly. Later it was learned through news that a political figure (who I also saw firing) was attacked by assassins of a rival party but he and his private guards repelled the attack. No casualties happened but it was indeed a scary incident.

October 26, 2011, 04:46 AM	#19
omkhan Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2008 Location: Karachi, Pakistan Posts: 117	Karachi, Pakistan