Picture this, you are cruising along after a long day at work while jamming out to some tunes when your back and side window explodes, glass shatters into your vehicle and complete chaos erupts. If it sounds like something out of a war zone (ambush) it’s not, as a matter of fact it just happened today in the city of Cincinnati.
Police said Nake’La Williams, 24, and Thomas Evans, 28, were shot while traveling in a car in the northbound lanes near the Davis Street exit around 11:30 a.m.
Williams was driving the vehicle and Evans was a passenger, police said.
Both victims suffered multiple gunshot wounds and were transported to the hospital. Police said Tuesday afternoon that their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Lockland Police Chief James Toles said investigators they believe 10 or more shots were fired, possibly from an automatic weapon.
Many of us carry guns and I’d wager quite a few of us train for scenarios that might be a little more complex than what a static flat range can provide. Still how many of us would know what to do in this instance, especially if a loved one were sitting next to us? The entire episode probably lasted less than 10 seconds and that’s not enough time to get to one’s gun (probably on the hip, pressed against the seat, under the seat belt). And it’s not like you were going to return fire at 70 mph past your spouse while maneuvering through traffic, that is unless your name is Jason Bourne. So what to do?
Here’s my take: defense is the best offense in this case. Look for things out of the ordinary which might demand a second or third glance. A vehicle whipping in and out of traffic or speeding up next to you on the shoulder might be your first clue. Or even vehicles passing on the left (or right if they don’t know how to drive), I always take a moment to toss a casual glance over their way. Know your escape routes and try not to get boxed in. Bumper to bumper traffic? Be even more vigilant!
You might be wondering what would spark such and incident and quite honestly who knows. Maybe it was drugs or someone’s girlfriend got caught up in a triangle. OR, maybe you have a bunch of Veteran stickers on your truck and some lone wolf types want to make a statement. Or maybe people high on drugs just want to go on a shooting spree because the crazy people in the sky told them that was the right thing to do. I think we all understand bad things consistently happen to good people and this is no exception.
I’m not here to tell you how to shoot from a moving vehicle while spinning through a J turn, first of all I’m not proficient at it and quite frankly it’s not something I recommend at speed on a highway. This incident just caught my attention because it’s something most of us do not frequently train for and realistically would not be immediately prepared to respond to. Give it some thought and maybe even post your thoughts below. Again I’m advocating situational awareness as the best possible way to avoid this type of encounter.
1 comment
PJ you again made a lot of good points. I learned early on in my career to be aware of my surroundings. I started making eye contact with drivers next to me. I am almost like a bobble head when I drive because I am scanning 360, with the use of my 3 rear view mirrors.
I began a habit of if I had to stop to leave a whole lot of distance between me and the car ahead. I really do not like be in the outside (curb) especially in the city. I try to stay in the outside lane and I would not be afraid, if necessary to run a red light if a problem showed up.
Would I lay down fire from my vehicle, yes if it were last ditch. I have a 2 ton weapon and plenty of horsepower; that is if I am in my truck and not the wife’s little compact.
In my case, I would not put it past the wife if she were the one putting down cover fire.
Most people are clueless when they drive, like they have tunnel vision. Heck, they don’t even see the reds and blues in their mirror even with them on their bumper. Pretty scary driving. HUA.
Nice article. Keep it up.