Perhaps it’s just me, or has there been a significant increase in shootings since January of 2021? Personally, I believe there has been. We have seen an unprecedented amount of attacks on law enforcement. Examples: May 16, 2021 in the Lawndale area of Chicago, IL; March 5, 2021 in New York; and June 21, 2021 in Arvada, CO.
Shootings have erupted in public areas where the victims were targeted or innocent by-standers have either been the targets or caught in the crossfire Examples: May 8, 2021 Aventura, FL, June 24, Glenarden, MD, April 19, 2021 Chicago, IL. And one on June 17, 2021 in New York where a man dressed in all black chased down his target on a sidewalk. The victim tripped over two small children and as he toppled to the ground, the shooter carelessly shot his victim numerous times and narrowly missed the two small children.
Violent criminals have expressed their proclivity to using firearms to address their specific issues for any number of reasons. Whether the shooter has a specific target they are intending to harm, a target of opportunity, or a totally innocent by-stander, any criminal who brandishes or discharges a firearm is an immediate danger to everyone present at that location.
Know how you should respond when you first notice “danger signs” or hear shots fired. Also take action when you see firearms being brandished by anyone! Know your exits and avenues of escape. And if you are too close to the actual shooter to escape, know how to disarm and disable the shooter. It is then important to prepare for the arrival of law enforcement. The only information they may have received is shots fired at a specific location. They may not have the exact physical description of the shooter. Therefore, if you have the requisite skills and elect to take action against the shooter, you are now at risk to be misidentified as the shooter and law enforcement may take immediate action against you.
This exact thing occurred in Arvada, CO where the active shooter ambushed and killed a police officer. An innocent bystander used his firearm to take out the shooter and took his rifle from him, only to be shot and killed by arriving police who mistook him for the shooter. Know what to do should you ever find yourself in that exact position. I have written two books on the Active Shooter threat: “Shots Fired – Surviving an Active Shooter/Assailant” and “Disarm and Disable – The Active Shooter Survival Guide” I would highly recommend reading both books to get a thorough understanding of the threat.