Up late because there was a shooting down the block . . .

[slq]

So this happened. I accidentally had caffeine this afternoon, so I was up late watching tv. Just as I was going to go to bed, at about 1:35 a.m., I heard a weird very loud sound outside that sounded like metal crinkling. It kind of sounded like a door being ripped off a car. We have had a raft of catalytic converter thefts, and my first thought was that it might be something like that. I grew up around guns and hunting and, believe me, if I'd realized it was a gunshot, I wouldn't have ventured outside. But I did, carefully, go outside to see if my car was OK. When I got out to the street, I heard loud male voices yelling (screaming?) from the vicinity of the intersection, about half a block away. So I decided to err on the side of caution and called 911. The dispatcher was very interested in my call (first surprise) and said there had been a report of a shooting (second surprise) and that police were on the way. While I was still on the phone with the dispatcher, they started arriving -- major response, including a large swat truck.

Our local neighboorhood very-johnny-on-the-spot blog reported beginning at 1:40 a.m. that a 37-year-old woman was shot in the abdomen. She reportedly was able to tell the police who shot her. According to an eyewitness who commented, the shooting happened in the street. The shooter fled in a car. The victim was taken to the trauma center. That was now about an hour and 45 minutes ago. The police (at least most of them) have left.

Still up. Unnverving.

[Azastan]

That's way too much excitement if you are in a city.

Glad you are all right.

[MsDaisy]

Ho-Lee crap!

Very thankful that you weren't hurt but you could have been!

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

[neonzx]

Glad you are safe, slq.

We had a shooting and death in our condo complex about a year-ish ago. Apparently a large drug deal gone-bad. None of the parties lived here-- they just decided to use our parking lot for the transaction. The perps did get caught in Georgia (and were from Georgia) a week or so later.

Unnerving indeed. Fuck these people. We have kids here!

[Slim Cognito]

[AndyinPA]

Scary.

[Kendra]

Yikes! Stay safe and get some sleep.

I know that blog of which you speak, they are amazing keeping up on neighborhood things. Thankfully we've moved the office from W Marginal, but we depended heavily on them for all of those way too many accidents shutting down the street.

[slq]

Thanks all. I did go back to bed shortly after I posted that and ended up sleeping way until about 8:30 then got caught up in work.

But the blog has updated with some new police info:

8:41 AM: Police say the victim’s injuries are not life-threatening; SFD says she was in stable condition when transported. SPD has just posted more details:

Around 1:30 AM, a 21-year-old man called 911 and reported that his mother had been shot in the 4200 block of Southwest Dawson Street. Officers found the woman leaning up against a car on the street.

Police learned the man and his mother were outside on the street when the man began talking to five known people in a car. The conversation turned into a dispute and one person in the vehicle fired a gun at the man, missing him and striking his 37-year-old mother.

Sounds very much to me like gang- or drug-related, which is worrisome. However, it also sounds like the 21-year-old man was visiting his mother. That's what I hope, anyway. Neighborhood crime is usually limited to car break-ins and catalytic converter theft.

[slq]

Yikes! Stay safe and get some sleep.

I know that blog of which you speak, they are amazing keeping up on neighborhood things. Thankfully we've moved the office from W Marginal, but we depended heavily on them for all of those way too many accidents shutting down the street.

Yes, they are wonderful. It's the first thing I check if I'm stuck in traffic or hear sirens nearby.

[slq]

That's way too much excitement if you are in a city.

Glad you are all right.

Yes, I'm in a city, but a village-y neighborhood, with mom and pop shops and restaurants a few blocks away, taller apartment and condo buildings between me and the shopping area, and 3-4 story apartment buildings and single family homes in my neighborhood. So way too much excitement for me.