I was on my way home from my folk’s house Thursday and sitting in heavy traffic. I crossed the bridge and I had to go to the restroom and I was thirsty so I thought Sonic (drive in burger shop) would be a great stop. I pull into a parking spot make my order and get out of the car and go to the restroom. As I am standing at the urinal I hear what I thought to be some firecrackers and my first thought was why in the world would any one be popping firecrackers with all the warnings and current brushfires in the area. As a firefighter I was a bit upset at the carelessness. I finished up and still hearing the pops I had all intentions to go out and chew some one a new one boy was I wrong about that! As I swing the door open exiting the restroom the only thing I could see was a person with a gun in their hand shooting. I can not remember seeing anything else not even a description of the person shooting. Just a gun being fired! I immediately retreated into the mens room and drew my 1911 knocked the safety off and made sure I had one in the tube. I next moved my spare mag from the back pocket to the front pocket. There was a pause so I went back to the main door again and opened it and cautiously peaked out then bang! Another shot and I think it hit the exterior wall just to the left of the door but I am not too sure. I could hear it hit the wall so I closed the door and waited for a few seconds. I did not hear anything a few yells and unintelligible screaming but no shots. I opened the door again and saw one guy on the ground and another obviously shot man in a car leaning on the steering wheel.
I ran to my car with my gun in my hand (not too smart in after thought) jumped in and got out of there. As side notes don’t let any one ever tell you a Hybrid is not a fast car! I was driving away and thought I should have stayed and helped the shot/ injured because I am an EMT and have extensive experience with treating gun shot victims. In fact it’s a state law but I count my actions as scene was not safe. About 10 miles down the road I realized I ran by several people with a gun in my hand and ran off down the road in my car. So I called the dispatch center and explained what happened and they took a statement over the phone and they said they would contact me if they needed any information. It was a 10 minute interview with a police officer. I must have told the guy about 5 times I have a 1911 in 38 super and I did not fire my gun.(38 super being slightly uncommon) They took all my contact information and was done with it.
My lessons learned.1. Find a safe defendable spot and stay there 2.just keep the gun loaded and then you wont have to worry about checking 3.if you can escape safely then do so. 4. In a situation like that holster your gun before you run by folks with a gun in your hand especially when you can see the shooting was over (one guy had a head shot and he was done)
The whole event seemed like 20 minutes but in all actuality it was more like 1 and a half minutes tunnel vision blinded me so much I could not even get a visual of the first shooter I saw. How can this be prevented?
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_sonicshooting_0704jul04,0,3728886.story
I ran to my car with my gun in my hand (not too smart in after thought) jumped in and got out of there. As side notes don’t let any one ever tell you a Hybrid is not a fast car! I was driving away and thought I should have stayed and helped the shot/ injured because I am an EMT and have extensive experience with treating gun shot victims. In fact it’s a state law but I count my actions as scene was not safe. About 10 miles down the road I realized I ran by several people with a gun in my hand and ran off down the road in my car. So I called the dispatch center and explained what happened and they took a statement over the phone and they said they would contact me if they needed any information. It was a 10 minute interview with a police officer. I must have told the guy about 5 times I have a 1911 in 38 super and I did not fire my gun.(38 super being slightly uncommon) They took all my contact information and was done with it.
My lessons learned.1. Find a safe defendable spot and stay there 2.just keep the gun loaded and then you wont have to worry about checking 3.if you can escape safely then do so. 4. In a situation like that holster your gun before you run by folks with a gun in your hand especially when you can see the shooting was over (one guy had a head shot and he was done)
The whole event seemed like 20 minutes but in all actuality it was more like 1 and a half minutes tunnel vision blinded me so much I could not even get a visual of the first shooter I saw. How can this be prevented?
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_sonicshooting_0704jul04,0,3728886.story
ISLE OF WIGHT - One man was killed and three were injured in a shootout Thursday between men in two cars at a Sonic restaurant in Carrollton.
Witnesses described the scene in which a white Honda screeched into a parking lot of the restaurant on Carrollton Boulevard just after 5 p.m. and was cornered by a Jeep.
As customers lined up in the drive-in areas to buy cheeseburgers and sodas, men got out of the Jeep and began firing at men in the Honda, with at least one of the men in the Honda returning fire, witnesses said.
There was also a physical altercation outside of the cars between at least two of the men.
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Sonic Shooting Photo There were two people in the Honda and at least two in the Jeep, said Isle of Wight spokesman Don Robertson.
One man was airlifted to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and the other three transported by ambulance to Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News.
One of the men later died at a hospital, but Robertson did not release his identity and didn't know whether he was an occupant of the Honda or the Jeep.
"We're trying to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together," Robertson said. "We're getting conflicting information and we're trying to sift through all of it."
The incident occurred at the Eagle Harbor Shopping Center, about a mile from the James River Bridge on Route 17.
Several investigators from the Isle of Wight sheriff's office, Newport News police and the Virginia State Police
were still at the scene hours after the incident. They searched for bullet casings, helped by a floodlight from a fire truck.
One eyewitness said she was buying food at one of many drive-in areas at the restaurant, when the Honda came in, pulling in to a booth going the wrong way. The Jeep came in behind them, cut the Honda off, and two men jumped out and "put guns in the face" of the men in the Honda.
She ducked upon hearing several shots, she said. After things got quiet, she said, she poked her head up. The driver of the Honda — whom she knew from school — asked her if she was OK.
"Then I heard someone say, 'Hey, did you see that?'" she said, and then heard a barrage of shots into the back of her own car. She was not injured.
The witness said the driver of the Honda was shot in the chest, and told her to call 911. The passenger of the Honda was shot in the head, the witness said.
Robertson said the occupants of the Jeep drove from the scene, but called 911 after realizing that they, too, needed medical attention.
A Sonic customer, Barbara Morgan, said she was in the parking lot reading a menu when the shooting started.
"I heard pop, pop, pop," she said. "I said, 'They're shooting off fireworks, and it's not even the Fourth of July — and it's not even night time,'" she said.
Kelby Saunders, an assistant football coach at Smithfield High School, said one of the men in the Honda, Tyrone Seaborne, 18, played cornerback on the football team. The other man in the Honda, J.T. Outlaw, 21, once played basketball for the school, Saunders said.
Investigators have not yet developed a motive for the crime.