Urban Gunshots in the Night--Tactical Considerations

[Cosmoline]

Twice this week while walking the dog around 11 PM to midnight I've been surprised by gunshots. It's not unusual in these parts to hear random shots being fired in the night, but these were both rather closer than I like. In the first case I could smell powder afterwards, though in neither did I hear a bullet. I saw nobody, shooter or not, in either case. The area is the most densely populated part of Alaska, with lots of apartments and houses interspersed with back roads and forests. This time of year there are numerous snow berms and the side roads are extremely icy so I have to wear studs and running is difficult.

In the first case I was under a street light and kept walking as fast as possible away from the area, scanning around as best I could for anyone. There was no sign of movement and no further sound. The gunshot sounded like a standard handgun, probably 9x19 or .38. It's likely it came from a nearby alley upwind from me.

The second case, just this evening, was more ominous. I was back in a park when I heard a rifle shot, within fifty yards. This time I ducked down and lay behind a berm of snow in the shadows with a view of the lighted trails in an arc around me to see if anyone emerged. Nobody did after half an hour so I left, trying to stay in the shadows. The rifle worried me a lot more than the first gunshot.

In general, though, what's the SOP for responding to gunshots nearby while walking?

[Devonai]

Hopefully you remain aware of hard cover options while you walk, and you can identify the general direction of the shot if one occurs. Flinging yourself behind a nice solid berm is all well and good unless you misjudged the direction of fire.

If you're alone, why not take cover? The only person you'll embarrass is yourself (except for your dog who will no longer respect you).

If you take cover fast enough and someone is targeting you, then hopefully they'll think they got you and come to investigate. Then you may have the drop on them.

[Lone_Gunman]

Is there a different place you could walk?

Even if the shots are not fired with malice, it sounds like you could easily get hit with a stray round. Not much you can do to prevent that.

[Cosmoline]

Actually the chance of getting hit with a true stray is near zero. There's not *that* much gunfire here. There are better places to walk, but you have to go through the bad spots to get to them.

I'm wondering if there are any little methods I can use to help determine location of the shot and any tactical considerations in responding to them. Is running better than hitting cover? How loud is the "snap" of a bullet? I've never stood downrange so I really don't know.

[308win]

The first time you hear one you won't mistake it for anything else. The one to worry about is the one you don't hear.

[iamhistory]

Cosmo......in either situation did LEO's show up in response to the gunfire? Just curious b/c you said you took cover during the second incident for a half hour and didn't see anyboy in the area after a rifle shot in the park. I might start thinking about a new area to walk in if people don't pay attention to shots fired in a park in the most densely populated region of a state.

Good luck and stay safe.

[Cosmoline]

No LEOs, but that's not unusual. I'm really not looking to move, just for tactical considerations. For example, is running considered a better approach than finding cover? Or does anyone know?

[Correia]

A bullet passing close to you is kind of a buzzing twang noise. Hard to describe. Of course by the time you hear it, that means it has already missed. :)

[rbernie]

is running considered a better approach than finding cover?That's been my training. I was taught that a body at rest is a bullet magnet, regardless of the concealment or cover (different concepts) that body may have. A body in motion, on the other hand, gathers no moss (or lead)..... :)

[RyanM]

From what I've read (no personal experience), subsonic rounds sound like the biggest, meanest, angriest, and fastest bee in the world. Supersonic rounds will sound more like the crack of a whip, than a gunshot. With supersonic rounds, you'll hear the crack first, then the bang from the muzzle gas a fraction of a second later. With subsonic rounds, it's the opposite, though you may hear both at the same time if the round is just barely under the speed of sound.

The sound of the bullet will come from the direction the bullet missed by, and the muzzle blast sound will be the direction the shot actually came from.

[NMshooter]

By the time you hear the crack, much less the thump, it is too late to do anything for that round. Hopefully you can avoid the next one.

I used to go walking at night, but not anymore. Avoid major streets, bars, nightclubs, anywhere liquor may be found, and you will avoid many potential problems. Staying out of problem neighborhoods at night would also be a good idea.

Life in the big city is not all it could be, especially after the sun goes down.

[tellner]

Some years back the neighborhood changed. It used to be part of "Darktown", and banks wouldn't lend money for anything except bars, liquor stores and pawnshops. Literally. Realtors engaged in steering. Then the city came down on them and *gasp* interfered in the Sacred Free Market. The area is a lot better now. People who used to be renters became owners. Businesses moved in. My wife and I were part of the wave of mixed-ethnicity middle-class gentrifiers. The last drug house was sold to an immigrant family.

It's been a couple years since we've heard shots fired other than New Year's or the Fourth of July. But I remember when it was a common thing. My first inclination was to hit the deck. Then I realized the shots weren't being fired at me. The chance of any of them hitting me were somewhere between slim and none. And since the bedroom is on the second floor it really wouldn't matter if we were standing or lying (most of the shots were at night). We learned to not get excited because it wouldn't help anything and just call in a police report; a detective said that sort of statistical data is useful for the way they plan patrols and enhanced presence.

Take home message? If a random bullet has your name on it there's nothing much you can do about it, so don't add to the danger by being afraid of it.

[Ryder]

Sometimes it requires a second shot to get a bearing on where shots are coming from. I always try to place location. Surprisingly it is often 180° from my initial impression.

I don't know the physics behind this but deer have the same problem. Many times they turn and run right to me after the first shot. Sometimes they stand there bewildered as though wondering where the shot came from. Other times they know without a doubt.

I figure if someone meant to shoot me I'd be hit or the miss would be close enough to leave no doubt so I don't get too excited about hearing shots. I've heard so many. But then maybe people around here just have better aim? ;)

A moving target is hard to hit but the higher the velocity the easier it gets. Depends on circumstances but I wouldn't want to test my luck against any rifle bullet.