the one with all the gunshots

this story actually comes from several months ago but was reminded of it the other night. i was sitting in my room with three college friends who had come to visit for the weekend, when we heard several very loud gunshots outside. we rushed to the window, saw some people in the chinese store across the store looking anxious but other than that there was no evidence of the sounds we had just heard. but as we sat gazing down upon the street i told the girls about the flashbacks that were running through my head.

back in february, philly got hit with several large snow storms. one evening as the snow from one of these storms was just beginning to collect, i heard that familiar sound of gunshots. i was instantly a little freaked out because it was the first time i had really heard this sound (we had only really been living here a little over a month at that point). i tried to reassure myself that it was nothing. just because i lived in the city didn't mean that sound was gunshots. i peeked out the window but didn't see anything unusual. so i went back to whatever i had been doing and forgot about it.

if only it were that simple.

about 30 minutes later i noticed police lights flashing outside. i took up my perch on the edge of my bed at the window once again. this time however i turned out the lights so it wouldn't be quite so obvious that i was spying on the street. i watched as a whole group of cops went around the snow covered intersection with their flashlights. they were definitely looking for something but they seemed unsure of what. the cop cars came and went over the next few hours. some pulled up casually. others flew down the wrong way of the one way street causing me to believe they had found what they were looking for. only to have them come back a few minutes later seemingly empty handed.

the crime scene tape went up blocking off the next block of thompson street. but people kept walking in and out as if there wasn't really anything to be concerned about. eventually i went to bed, feeling like i had just turned off an episode of CSI.

it wasn't until the next day that some diligent internet searching provided some answers. a 13 year old kid had been in a car that was "stopped in traffic" (yeah right... there usually isn't any traffic on thompson) and had been shot in the back of the head. police didn't seem to know if the bullets were truly intended for him or someone else in the car. as of that time he was in the hospital in critical condition.

never really followed up with that one... but i definitely replay that scene in my head whenever that sound appears in the neighborhood. thankfully that isn't too often :)

-sarah-