Saturday, June 13, 2009

Misdemeanor Shooting

It's been a long time since I heard that term used. The call drops as a drive by shooting. As usual I'm the farthest away and get there dead last. A young girl got shot in the leg. When I get there, she is in the ambulance being treated. She has a look on her face, a "that's life" kind of look. I over hear one of the other officers talking about how this street is notorious for gangs, drugs, shootings, and stabbings. I noticed a tattoo on her right forearm, had a giant dollar sign and some writing. I couldn't get close enough to read the writing. I walk around with my flash light looking for any evidence and as expected, I find none. I hear officers grumbling that the people know who did this but as usual aren't going to talk to us. So naturally the officers really aren't that concerned. One girl shows up pointing to a scratch on her leg where she says a bullet grazed her. Her friends are talking about a guy who got beat up there the day before and how they saw him driving up and down the street just before the shooting. Yet nobody can say they saw him shoot. It sounds like a retaliatory shooting to me. I don't think the girl who was shot was the intended target, but she was probably near him (or her but not likely). Still nobody who was standing there who saw this mystery guy driving up and down the street repeatedly can say if that was, or wasn't the shooter. The officers who patrol this area are constantly here and sick of only getting half the story. So naturally they are not overly concerned with coming to this street unless someone is killed. I hear one guy say "there is always something going on here. This is a misdemeanor shooting." I tell him not to let anyone else hear him say that. I go ahead and leave. Despite the apparent lack of concern they do have a lead. That officer knows who got beat up the day before and will be looking for him soon.

2 comments:

Texas Ghostrider said...

Just another day in paradise! I am working an agg assault case up in guns point. He tells me the same guy who threw a bottle at him and struck him in the head is "most likely" the same guy who shot him a month earlier. Funny thing is he refused to cooperate on that case. Don’t these thugs have anything better to do then sell drugs, steal and assault each other?

Beat And Release said...

That's why I refuse to label most of our murders "homicides." I prefer to call them "pesticides." If we're lucky we might even get a two-fer or three-fer.