I Heard A Drive-By Shooting But My Mind Refused To Believe It

The rapid-fire near a public library a block away sounded like fireworks. It puzzled me rather than froze me, as I stepped out of a Chinese carry-out, in the Shaw neighboorhood of Washington, DC.

“I hope that’s not a shooting,” popped into my mind — but only because a deadly drive-by shooting had occurred two weeks earlier. I immediately flushed the thought out and chuckled at my silliness — paranoia, even, because gun violence is highly unusual for that part of the city.

Washington is, by American standards, a relatively safe and peaceful place. The once-murder capital of America has made a stellar comeback in the 21st century. Although drug-related gang violence still occurs, it’s mostly limited to the peripheries and makes Washington’s reputation of the 80s and 90s seem like…well…a completely different century.

I concluded it had to be fireworks, even though there’s no reason to shoot fireworks in October — and even if there was, it’s illegal in the city limits.

Although we witness tragedy and crime on the news and internet, we often think it would never happen when we’re present.

As I mounted my bike to leave the restaurant, I heard an automobile screeching down the alley directly across from me as the driver laid on the horn.